People’s experiences of maternity care in England show some positive change, but challenges persist.  

Results from the 2025 Maternity Survey show signs of improvement in people’s experiences of maternity services in England, but how person centred is the care provided? Below, we examine these survey findings against the eight Picker Principles of Person Centred Care.  

1) Fast access to reliable healthcare advice

People using healthcare services should be able to access the right services at the right time, including access to advice. Nearly three quarters (74%) of survey respondents reported ‘always’ being able to get the help they needed during pregnancy; however, this was lower during labour and birth (66%) and lower again in hospital after birth (57%). Postnatally, when at home after birth, this increased to 75%, however, 33% of respondents reported that they did not have contact with a midwife ‘as much as they would have liked to’.   

A first point of contact for advice is through Maternity Triage, however, 6% of respondents did not get the advice they needed when they called the triage line, and 2% could not get through to speak to anyone. Although these percentages seem small, it means that nearly one in ten respondents could not access the healthcare advice that they needed. Fast access also includes minimal waiting times. When attending triage in-person, nearly one in ten (9%) felt they had to wait ‘far too long’ before being seen by a midwife. For service users to feel as though they receive timely access to reliable healthcare advice, improvement to triage access is needed. 

2) Effective treatment by trusted professionals 

Effective treatment starts with positive relationships between service users and healthcare professionals. During antenatal check-ups, 84% of respondents ‘always’ felt listened to by healthcare professionals and 77% ‘always’ felt listened to during postnatal check-ups. At in-person triage, 78% of respondents ‘definitely’ felt listened to.  

Having confidence and trust in healthcare professionals is also key to positive relationships. However, only half (52%) of respondents reported that they ‘definitely’ had confidence and trust in their healthcare professionals during their antenatal care. This was higher at 78% during labour and birth and 71% when at home after birth. Despite these higher percentages, about a quarter of respondents did not ‘always’ feel heard or ‘fully’ trust their healthcare providers. 

3) Continuity of care and smooth transitions 

Smooth handovers between maternity care providers are important for person centred care, including sharing information like medical histories. Only half (53%) of respondents said their midwives or doctor were ‘always’ aware of their medical history during their antenatal check-ups. This was slightly higher at 65% for during labour and birth, and highest for postnatal care at 77%. This suggests that awareness of medical history needs the most improvement during antenatal care. 

Only one-in-four (25%) respondents saw the same midwife ‘all of the time’ during their antenatal check-ups. This decreased to 17% during postnatal check-ups, which suggests that providing continuity of care is a particularly challenging area for trusts.  

4) Involvement and support for family and carers 

Partners, families and friends are important to a service user’s overall health and wellbeing. For care provision to be person centred, their involvement should be welcomed and supported. During labour and birth, 95% of respondents’ partners, or someone else close to them, were able to be involved in their care as much as they wanted them to be. Additionally, 72% could stay as much as they wanted; a significant increase of 39 percentage points since 2021. These results show growing consideration for the role of support networks in providing person centred care. However, there is still room for improvement, as 19% of respondents reported that their partner or someone else close to them was restricted from visiting due to visiting hours, while 11% were restricted due to a lack of accommodation on the maternity ward.  

5) Clear information, communication and support for self-care 

Service users should have access to clear, high-quality, accessible information to help them make informed decisions. During antenatal care, information provision varied by topic. Fewer than six-in-ten respondents (58%) ‘definitely’ got enough information to help them decide where to have their baby. However, nearly eight-in-ten (77%), were ‘definitely’ given enough information about warning signs to look out for during pregnancy.  

For respondents who were induced, 76% were given appropriate information and advice on the risks associated. However, 14% said they were not given information about the options available to them surrounding their induction. This information is important in empowering people to make informed choices. 

Postnatally, information provision also scored poorly; only 61% of respondents were ‘always’ given the information they needed while in hospital after giving birth. This was lower for information received once at home, with only half of respondents (51%) ‘always’ receiving information about their own physical recovery after birth. Whether respondents ‘definitely’ received help and advice about their baby’s health and progress was higher at 65%. Therefore, information provision was better around warning signs to look out for during pregnancy and for risks associated with induced labour, which are important for safety. However, information provision needs to be improved after birth, and in areas where service users should be able to make decisions about where and how to have their baby. 

Having enough time to ask questions also varied depending on care phase. Eight-in-ten (81%) respondents reported ‘always’ having time during their antenatal check-ups, but only five-in-ten (51%) reported ‘completely’ having enough time after labour and birth. However, there were minimal differences across care phases in receiving information in an understandable way. Nearly nine-in-ten respondents reported ‘always’ being spoken to in a way they could understand during their antenatal care (89%) and during labour and birth (86%). 

For mental health, only six-in-ten (61%) respondents were ‘definitely’ given information about any mental health changes they may experience after birth. However, eight-in-ten (83%) were told who to contact if they needed advice about their mental health. So, although most knew how to access support, almost four-in-ten (39%) did not receive enough information or received no information at all.  

6) Involvement in decisions and respect for preferences 

Healthcare professionals should ensure that service users are involved in decisions about their care and that their choices and preferences are respected. Around eight-in-ten respondents ‘always’ felt involved in their care decisions during antenatal care (82%), labour and birth (77%) and postnatal care (75%), and ‘always’ felt that their personal circumstances were taken into account when being given advice (75%). Furthermore, 84% reported that their feeding decisions were ‘always’ respected by midwives. While these results are largely positive, they show that around one-in-four respondents did not ‘always’ feel involved in decisions or that their circumstances were considered.  

7) Emotional support, empathy and respect 

Person centred care should be holistic, including showing empathy, respect, compassion, and recognising emotional needs. Mental health support was rated highly during antenatal care, with 77% of respondents ‘definitely’ being asked about their mental health by midwives and 90% reporting that they had enough support during pregnancy. Once at home, this remained high with 94% being asked about their mental health by a midwife. However, fewer than half (45%) of respondents felt that their GP ‘definitely’ spent enough time talking to them about their mental health at their 6–8-week check-up. These results show a difference in the experiences of support provided by midwives and by the GP and emphasises primary care support for mental health as an area for improvement.  

Regarding emotional support, empathy and respect, nine-in-ten (91%) respondents said they were not sent home when they were worried about themselves or their baby during labour, and three-quarters (76%) were not left alone during labour when they were worried. This shows consideration and empathy for service users’ worries during labour. During their antenatal care, 88% of respondents were ‘always’ treated with respect and dignity with this remaining high at 86% for labour and birth. Also, during labour and birth, 83% of respondents reported ‘always’ being treated with kindness and compassion. However, this declined to 73% for ‘always’ being treated with kindness and understanding while in hospital after birth.  

8) Attention to physical and environmental needs 

Healthcare professionals should be mindful of a service user’s physical needs, including pain management. However, only 65% of respondents felt that healthcare professionals ‘definitely’ did everything they could to help them manage their pain during labour and birth, and only 66% whilst in hospital after birth. Fewer than half (42%) reported that their GP ‘definitely’ spent enough time talking to them about their physical health at the six-to-eight -week postnatal check-up. Of respondents who needed communication support, which includes access to a translator or adapted information, 88% reported that they received this support while in the maternity unit. However, this means that one in ten who needed this support did not receive it, which could affect understanding of information provided, impacting informed decision making and safety.  

Summary

The 2025 Maternity Survey results show that while service user experiences often reflect the principles of high quality person centred care, there is still room for improvements, particularly at different phases throughout pregnancy. The greatest challenges are in continuity of care, postnatal support, providing information to enable informed decision-making and attention to physical needs.