What is this review about?

We are carrying out a review of infant feeding support offered to families in maternity and neonatal services across Kent. This includes hospital maternity wards, neonatal/special-care units, and the transition from hospital to home. We want to hear from families about what has worked well, what could be better, and how support could be improved in the future.

Why your views matter

Your first-hand experience of feeding your baby (whether via breast, bottle, tube-feeding, or a combination of these) and your time in maternity or neonatal care gives valuable insight into how support is delivered.

We’d like to know:

• Were you given the help you needed, when you needed it?
• How did the staff support you?
• Were there any barriers or delays?
• What helped you transition from hospital to home?
• What could have made things easier?

Who are we reaching out to?

We’d like to hear from parents who:

• Gave birth (or whose baby was born) in Kent in the last 3 years
• Experienced maternity and/or neonatal care (including special care or neonatal unit)
• Fed their baby by breast, bottle, tube or any combination of these

Your experience – whatever feeding method you used – helps us build a fuller picture.

How you can participate

You can take part in one or more of the following, if you’d like:

• Complete a short online survey
• Join a small group discussion (in-person or online)
• Take part in a one-to-one interview (phone or video)

Participation is voluntary and you can choose how much you wish to share.

What happens to what you tell us?

• Everything you tell us will be treated confidentially.
• We will combine responses with those from other families. No individual will be identified.
• Your feedback will help form recommendations to improve support in maternity and neonatal services: staffing, training, timing of support, transition home, follow-up/community links etc.
• Key findings and recommendations will be shared with Kent County Council and local NHS services.

Are there any risks or benefits to participating?

Benefit: Your contributions can help shape better support for families in the future.
Risk: Thinking about your feeding/infant-care journey may bring up personal or emotional memories. You can skip any question, stop at any time, and we will sign-post to support if needed.

Compensation: You will receive a voucher to thank you for your participation in the group meetings or one-to-one discussions:

• £20 for up to one hour of your time
• £40 for one to three hours of your time

Your rights

• Taking part is completely your choice.
• You can withdraw at any time without giving a reason, and it won’t affect your care now or in future.
• If you have a question about how your data will be used, you can ask at any time.
• If we are concerned about the safety or welfare of someone (you, your baby, another family member) we may need to share information with relevant services — in such cases we’ll inform you wherever possible.

Contact us / More information

If you’d like more information or have any questions, please contact:
Hannah Lynes
Better Breastfeeding Ltd
Email: hannah@betterbreastfeeding.uk Phone: 07790 032620

You can also view our full privacy notice or see how we will handle your personal information.

Thank you

Thank you for your interest in this review. Your experience is invaluable in helping improve infant feeding support in maternity and neonatal services across Kent and Medway.