title: Women's views on partnership working with midwives during pregnancy and childbirth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to explore whether the UK Government agenda for partnership working and choice was realised or desired for women during pregnancy and childbirth.
  
  
  METHODS
  a qualitative study was used to explore women's experience of partnership working with midwives. Data was generated using a diary interview method throughout pregnancy and birth.
  
  
  METHODS
  16 women were recruited from two district general hospitals in the South East of England.
  
  
  RESULTS
  three themes emerged from the data: organisation of care, relationships and choice. Women described their antenatal care as 'ticking the box', with midwives focusing on the bio-medical aspects of care but not meeting their psycho-social and emotional needs. Time poverty was a significant factor in this finding. Women rarely described developing a partnership relationship with midwives due to a lack of continuity of care and time in which to formulate such relationships. In contrast women attending birth centres for their antenatal care were able to form relationships with a group of midwives who shared a philosophy of care and had sufficient time in which to meet women's holistic needs. Most of the women in this study did not feel they were offered the choices as outlined in the national choice agenda (DoH, 2007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NHS Trusts should review the models of care available to women to ensure that these are not only safe but support women's psycho-social and emotional needs as well. Partnership case loading models enable midwives and women to form trusting relationships that empowers women to feel involved in decision making and to exercise choice. Group antenatal and postnatal care models also effectively utilise midwifery time whilst increasing maternal satisfaction and social engagement. Technology should also be used more effectively to facilitate inter-professional communication and to provide a more flexible service to women.
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University, Southwark Campus, 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA, UK. Electronic address: boyles3@lsbu.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Primary and Community Care, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Herts AL109AB, UK.
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Primary and Community Care, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Herts AL109AB, UK.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brooks
mesh_terms: D016550:Birthing Centers; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008427:Maternal Health Services; D008880:Midwifery / Q000379:methods*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011181:Postnatal Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D013222:State Medicine; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Choice; Midwives; Organisation of care; Partnership relationships; Women׳s views