Birth services rollout in Plymouth doubles access to antenatal education

A suite of antenatal services has approximately doubled access to free antenatal education for pregnant people and families in the first year of its rollout at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, according to an evaluation by Health Innovation South West.  

The Real Birth Company (RBC) offers a comprehensive online antenatal education package for pregnant women and people, face-to-face training for midwives, and an Inclusion Midwife to support engagement from midwives and communities.  

These services were rolled out in University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) in 2023 to expand on the trust’s existing offerings led by children’s centres and family hubs. An evaluation of its rollout at UHP was carried out by Health Innovation South West and part-funded by the South West Regional Maternity & Perinatal Team. 

The evaluation shows that in their first year of implementation at UHP, RBC services at least doubled access to NHS-funded antenatal education for people across Plymouth and the surrounding areas. 545 pregnant people registered to receive free antenatal education – approximately double the number of people that were signing up to what was already on offer.  

Implementing the RealBirth digital workshop increased take-up of antenatal education by 25-125% in the first year. There are also early signs that engagement in community organisations, driven by the Real Birth Company’s Inclusion Midwife, is driving better engagement from underserved communities.   

The majority of pregnant people surveyed said they found the course very helpful in planning for birth and that it changed their thoughts and feelings about birth. Midwives who received the training felt empowered to lead their own education sessions, supplemented by the RealBirth digital workshop.   

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) suggests antenatal care should be readily and easily accessible, however education, an essential aspect of this care, is not often offered ‘in-house’ and certain groups, such as those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, ethnic minorities, and rural communities, are less likely to access antenatal education compared to their counterparts.   

The RBC aims to narrow inequalities in maternity care by providing education about prenatal care, childbirth, and newborn care to equip expectant parents to make informed decisions and adopt healthy behaviours during pregnancy and childbirth.  

RBC services have now been adopted by all trusts in Devon and Somerset and several units in the West of England, supporting a notable increase in access to NHS-funded antenatal education and driving better engagement from underserved communities.  

Learn more about our evaluation in our case study.  

Read the evaluation executive summary here.  

Health Innovation South West is working in partnership at the centre of the South West’s innovation ecosystem to help find, test and prepare solutions for some of the NHS’s greatest challenges. Our region’s rural and coastal demography, distance, and sparseness present distinct and significant challenges. As a place-based innovation organisation we’re using our knowledge and expertise to evaluate and ensure solutions work for this distinct context. Learn more in our latest annual review.