Midwives' perspectives on personalised maternity care in the UK

Background/Aims Personalised care is associated with high-quality, safe maternity care. Limited evidence exists on midwives' perception of personalised care and potential barriers and facilitators associated with implementing it in practice. The aim of this study was to explore midwives' perspectives of personalised care. Methods An online mixed-methods survey was conducted exploring the perspectives of 46 NHS midwives. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results Assessing individual needs was perceived as a key facilitator and time restrictions were considered a significant barrier to providing personalised care in practice. Conclusions Providing personalised care is associated with increased job satisfaction for midwives, and key barriers include inflexible healthcare systems and limited resources. Implications for practice The findings contribute to an understanding of the factors that influence the provision of personalised care and have the potential to inform improvements in maternity services.