What is the evidence base for?
Case study 1: Maternal and Infant Health Partnerships
Two Health Improvement Specialists were developing a maternal and infant health partnership across Middlesbrough Council and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. They were looking for evidence on effective interventions and partnership approaches to achieve the best possible outcomes. The partnership was particularly interested in prevention and hard to reach groups and needed a rapid review of the existing evidence base on maternal and infant health partnerships to inform strategic planning within the partnership.
With the help of AskFuse, a Fellow at the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing at Durham University agreed to conduct a literature review based on their experiences with maternal-infant health projects in Canada, Brazil and the UK. Through the review they will identify existing programmes and interventions in maternal and child health undertaken in other parts of the country and contact individuals involved in the delivery of these projects to identify barriers and facilitators for implementation in the north-east of England. The review focussed particularly on interventions for breastfeeding, maternal mental health and alcohol and substance misuse to clarify best practice and return on investment.
The work was conducted over 10 days and was budgeted at £3,552 (incl. VAT). The final report was submitted in August 2014 and made available to participants of the Maternal, Infant and Child Health conference at Middlesbrough Football Club on 22nd October 2014.
Contact details:
Lindsay Johnson , Health Improvement Specialist, Middlesbrough Council
Tel: 01642 728024
Email: lindsay_johnson@middlesbrough.gov.uk
Rebecca Laidler, Health Improvement Specialist , Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
Tel: 01642 771604
