Your Story Matters
GMAG (Gloucestershire Maternity Action Group) has now been invited to engage with NHS Gloucestershire Trust on the future redesign of maternity services across the county.
At a public NHS Gloucestershire Trust Board meeting on 14th May, Chief Nurse Matt Holdaway confirmed to GMAG that maternity services across the county are entering a significant period of redesign, following concerns that current provision is not fully meeting the needs of local women and families.
This is a rare and significant opportunity to help shape what maternity care in Gloucestershire will look like for the next 5–15 years — and local women’s voices must be at the centre of that conversation.
We are asking mothers, birth partners and families across Gloucestershire to share their experiences of maternity care with us — positive or negative, recent or historic.
We want to hear about:
• Pregnancy care
• Labour and birth experiences
• Induction and caesarean experiences
• Home birth or midwife-led care
• Postnatal care
• Continuity of carer
• Feeling listened to — or not listened to
• Birth trauma and recovery
• Positive examples of excellent care
• Experiences of inequality, discrimination, coercion or lack of choice
• What helped you feel safe, respected and empowered
• What you believe needs to change
Real stories are powerful. They help decision-makers understand not only what is happening on paper, but what families are actually experiencing.
Whether your experience was empowering, traumatic, healing, disappointing, or somewhere in between — your voice matters.
Please contact GMAG to share your story and help shape the future of maternity care in Gloucestershire.