ASPIRE-COVID-19-CENTRE Version 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
ASPIRE-COVID-19 CENTRE: Achieving Safe and Personalised maternity care in response to epidemics - Case studies of eight NHS Trusts in England
IRAS ID
285693
Contact name
Soo Downe
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Central Lancashire
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
researchregistry5911, ASPIRE-COVID-19 Protocol Registration; 5617, Collaboration Agreement (Between UCLan and co-investigators employing organisations)
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 10 days
Research summary
NHS policy is for safe, personalised maternity care. We know during the COVID-19 pandemic, tests and visits have been reduced by some NHS maternity care providers. At the same time, some women with worrying symptoms have delayed or not attended hospital. Some providers have reduced community maternity services, including home and birth-centre births; barred birth companions in early labour; and separated mothers, babies, and partners, resulting in increased reports of women giving birth at home without professional help. Some providers have rapidly adopted innovative solutions, including remote access technologies. In other countries there has been a policy of increased community maternity services during COVID-19. We want to find out how best to provide NHS care for mothers, babies, and partners during and after a pandemic. We will look at what documents and national leads say about service organisation in the UK and the Netherlands, and at women’s experiences. This application is to look in detail at eight maternity care providers (also known as NHS Trusts) in England. We will find out how their services have been organised during COVID-19, what parents and staff think, and what the outcomes are, including infections. We will then share the findings with key stakeholders to agree a final model that can be used to ensure safe, personalised routine and crisis maternity care, now, and in future.
REC name
London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/HRA/4621
Date of REC Opinion
20 Oct 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion