Trust Board Febuary 2010 - Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals

SWBTB (2/10) 035 (a)
Pakistani
44% of Pakistani respondents chose option 1 (with option 3 at 29%)
The majority of comments on questionnaires supported the retention of maternity services at
Sandwell Hospital and there appears to be a common view about services being local and
accessible and of people having a feeling of ownership: “I think a community based midwife-led
birth centre and an opportunity to give birth at home are options that my family, sisters, sisters
in law, will be OK with but we would love for our local Sandwell hospital to stay opened.”
The main concerns were around the additional pressures the changes will place on City,
respondents commented that City was already very busy and wondered if they really would be
able to cope with the additional women.
Respondents from one focus group felt that the language barriers presented difficulties at City
hospital and they would like staff to “show an understanding of my culture” or to have staff
who speak their language so that their lack of English isn’t a barrier to accessing good support
and good services. They identified a need for attentive staff who listened to the women, tried
to understand what they were saying and provided reassurance. One person commented: “the
Asian community doesn’t complain about poor service – it’s not part of our culture – but we do
share that information between ourselves”. Another said “any comments good or bad do get
spread across the community and City Hospital you hear such bad things about the level of
care”.
One respondent expressed the need, which may be culturally appropriate, for separate toilets
for men and women on labour wards at City Hospital and focus group members requested
more Asian food options on the menus.
Indian
39% of Indian respondents chose option 3 (with 31% choosing option 2)
A high proportion of respondents were in the Handsworth area, with a further significant
cluster around West Bromwich.
Indian respondents raised concerns about the logistics of managing the transition to City; they
were concerned about pressures on staff, ambulances and parking expressing the view that the
options for change reduced women’s choices. One respondent suggested the need to:
“escalate the development on community services – supporting women closer to home”.
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