New toolkits aim to improve access to maternity services

Turning research into action, Fuse Associate researchers at Newcastle University have helped develop new evidence-informed toolkits to support better access to maternity services.

Produced through the NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) project Supporting Engagement with and Access to Maternity Services (SEAMS), the resources offer practical recommendations for practitioners and policymakers to help address the barriers faced by pregnant women and people living on low incomes.

The research identifies a range of challenges faced by pregnant women and people. Researchers have now produced new freely available toolkits of recommendations tailored to practitioners and policymakers to help improve access to maternity services.

Why are these recommendations needed? 

In England, women living on low income have an increased risk of pregnancy complications such as stillbirth, neonatal death or preterm birth. Women with poor access to financial, educational, and social and health resources engage less with health and care services throughout their pregnancy. This is due to a range of reasons such as social stressors, low health literacy, digital exclusion, lack of support, language barriers, transport difficulties, and stigma and judgement from healthcare professionals. While we know about the experiences of these women, little is known about how healthcare professionals understand and respond to these barriers. These toolkits aim to help policy makers and practitioners implement actionable changes to service delivery to help pregnant women and people living on low incomes to engage with maternity care.

How the recommendations were developed

These recommendations were generated through interviews with pregnant women living on low incomes and professionals working in the NHS, VCSE sector and local authorities. Alongside this, researchers undertook four workshops (three with professionals and one with women with lived experience), to develop recommendations together.

“My aim for these co-developed recommendations is to help policy makers and practitioners implement actionable solutions, to reduce barriers to accessing maternity services, and to help improve birth outcomes for all women.”

Fuse researcher on the study Dr Kerry Brennan-Tovey

How to use the toolkits

Each toolkit has 5 key recommendations with tips, additional resources and supporting information. The recommendations also include case studies highlighting where similar actions have been adopted.

Explore the toolkits

• Recommendations for practitioners
• Recommendations for policy makers

Screenshot of toolkits

Screenshot of toolkits

We need your feedback

Please let us know how you find these toolkits, if you’d like them in a different format, would like to show them on your website, or if you have any further questions. Contact Kerry kerry.brennan-tovey@newcastle.ac.uk

Find out more

Fuse Podcast: Shaping better maternity services through public involvement

News story: Barriers to accessing maternity care for women on a low income in England

NIHR SPHR project page: Supporting engagement with and access to maternity services

Research paper: Brennan-Tovey, K., Sarma, K., Lima, D. et al. Professional perspectives on barriers to accessing maternity care in England: a qualitative study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 26, 334 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-026-08745-7

Adapted with thanks to NIHR SPHR

Last modified: Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:21:51 BST