Perinatal Health Equity
Our first regional health equity programme focuses on perinatal health and care.

Overview
Enabling innovative practice to help close the gaps in the health and well-being of mothers and families
The programme has commissioned a user engagement organisation to explore the experience of women/birthing people, who experience inequity of perinatal outcomes
We are focusing our efforts on health equity by identifying and spreading innovative practice that can help to close health equity gaps
Detailed Programme Information
Development of our perinatal health equity regional programme commenced in April 2021 and will continue for the next 2 – 3 years.
Our overarching aim is improving equity of health and wellbeing outcomes for families during pregnancy, and babies up to one year old.
Outcomes the programme is working towards, with a particular focus on those people who experience inequitable outcomes:
- Improved access to health and social care services – in first and second trimester for deprived communities
- Improved quality of health and social care – for those from ethnic minorities and with cultural and language barriers
- A reduction in the modifiable risk factors associated with poorer health – focus on deprived communities in the South West
- People are able to make more informed decisions about their care, as they will be provided with “better” information
- Improved access to resources for Health Care Practitioners – to facilitate meaningful conversations about the health inequalities patients maybe facing.
Work with colleagues across our regional Integrated Care Systems, and through user-focused engagement will continue to build a body of insight in this area of work. It will also enable the South West AHSN to support early project development in this area.