‘How can we reduce infant mortality in specific communities?’

A district in Huddersfield had an unacceptably high infant mortality rate alongside low levels of engagement with maternity services, and were looking for solutions to reverse the trend and support local women.

We worked closely with women and service providers in the community to understand what service changes or interventions could make a difference.

We found that some local women had minimal understanding of infant-risk. Further, their deep distrust of institutions presented a significant barrier to engagement with services and information they provide.  Their needs were also complex running well beyond the maternity pathway.

Collaborating with the end users, we co-created a solution based on a new grassroots service which trained local women, providing both information and peer-to-peer support. This service has been running for over a decade.