Every mum who gives birth at York or Scarborough hospitals – or in any of the smaller district hospitals or maternity units they run – is being invited to take part in a study about the experience of giving birth and bringing up children.
The York and Scarborough NHS Foundation Trust has joined the nationwide ‘Born and Bred In’ (BaBi) network, which aims to create a picture of families’ lives over time – ultimately helping to shape and improve local services.
Researchers from the Trust will be using the study to highlight health, care, and education trends and challenges for children and families across the area.
Every mother who gives birth in the Trust will now be invited by midwives to join the study. Last year more than 4,400 babies were born in the region.
Scarborough will be the first coastal town to be included in the study and is seen as an area that can particularly benefit from better health research. Hospital trust researchers will also join forces with academics from the University of York on the project.
With consent from pregnant women, routine data recorded by the various services, including healthcare and education, are joined together anonymously. This helps to create a bigger picture of local people’s health.
Dr Dominic Smith, BaBi Principal Investigator for York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am extremely excited to become part of this network. Involvement in the study has already demonstrated there is great enthusiasm and interest in research work from our midwifery.
“We are grateful to all the women, babies, health professionals, and researchers who make BaBi happen.”
Community Midwife, Clare Jemmett, said: “I’m very excited to be part of such an exciting project which will help us to understand the localised needs of our pregnant women and families more.
“People have been happy and willing to participate knowing the information will contribute positively to the health and wellbeing of the community they live in.”
The BaBi concept first began in Bradford, where it is part of the world leading ‘Born in Bradford’ research programme.
The initiative aims to find out what influences the health and wellbeing of families when growing up.
Sally Bridges, BaBi Network Director, at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted to welcome York and Scarborough to the BaBi family so more families can enjoy the benefits this research can bring.”
