Baby Buddy Trailblazer Site: NHS Surrey Heartlands

2020-2022

In 2020, Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System (ICS) - now NHS Surrey Heartlands - commissioned Best Beginnings to work with them to make the ICS the first Baby Buddy 2.0 Trailblazer site in the UK. Funding for the programme of work was agreed to take place in two phases over two years. Phase 1 was focused on research, engagement and planning with Phase 2 focussed on delivery of services and promotion of the app to reach parents and families across Surrey Heartlands.

The intention was to fully embed Baby Buddy 2.0 into antenatal and postnatal care pathways in order to:

Improve access to quality information for parents from early in pregnancy up to the end of the first year after birth.
Improve parents’ experiences of pregnancy and parenthood during their baby’s first year by providing parents with emotional support and signposting to resources and services to enhance their social support networks.
Contribute towards improved maternal and neonatal health outcomes, by both motivating and empowering families to safeguard and enhance their own health and wellbeing and by ensuring they know when and where to turn for support, advice and care when needed.
Recognise the pressures that Healthcare Professionals face in managing their caseloads and work with them to find creative solutions to easing their workload while enhancing the quality of services provided.

The project has been a resounding success where within 12 months of delivering the project, Baby Buddy has now reached 4120 parents and currently reaching over 40% of the birth cohort using Baby Buddy in Reigate and Banstead and Waverley. On average, over the 12 months, Baby Buddy app registrations increased by 3.5 times and are on a projected increasing trend.

Following the embedding project activities, there has been a 31% increase in the overall birth cohort using the Baby Buddy app across Surrey Heartlands.

100% of the parents reported that the Baby Buddy app is helping them to learn and feel more prepared for being a parent. Furthermore, 97% of the Healthcare Professionals said they felt confident about recommending the Baby Buddy app to parents they work with after training.

To read the full impact report please click here.

To read the research report that preceded the localisation work, please click here.

Latest

Experiences of LGBTQ+ mums and non-binary parents

Evidence suggests that more openly LGBTQ+ people are having children each year, yet little is known about their needs or experiences. This research project used funding from the Garfield Weston Foundation, in partnership with LGBT Mummies and the University of Huddersfield, to find out more about the needs of LGBTQ+ women and non-binary parents who had babies in the last two years.
Capturing lived experiences in the transition to parenthood

This research project was focused on capturing women and birthing people’s lived experiences of pregnancy and their transition into parenthood whilst at work. We explored key elements of becoming a parent including pregnancy, maternity leave, pregnancy loss, abortion, surrogacy, and fertility issues. Nine semi-structured interviews were carried out with women who were employed and living in the United Kingdom.
Baby Buddy - Theory of Change

The Theory of Change outlines the priorities and goals for Baby Buddy app. Baby Buddy seeks to reduce health inequalities by identifying the needs of parents on the perinatal journey. Baby Buddy provides accurate, up to date, relevant information on pregnancy and early parenthood to parents and seeks to motivate parents to engage in positive behaviour change.
Women in the Workplace – A Literature Review

The childbearing years are a demanding period in a woman’s life. Mothers still seem to fare poorly in comparison with women who do not have a dependent child, indicating inadequate policies to support women’s continued employment post childbirth. This literature review highlights the varied experiences of working women in the context of pregnancy, motherhood, pregnancy loss, infertility, or other reproductive issues.
Mental health experiences of GBTQ+ dads in the perinatal period – A Rapid Review

With the steady increase in the number of people from the GBTQ+ community becoming parents, there is a growing need to address the mental health concerns of fathers within this community to equip them with the necessary support to navigate the unique challenges posed by the perinatal period. This systematic rapid review was carried out to collate the findings of the literature available on the experiences of GBTQ+ dads during the perinatal period.
Communication strategies for LGBTQ+ communities – An Editorial Review

The communication strategies employed to convey wellbeing messages has a significant impact on help-seeking behaviour, access to appropriate care and experiences in the healthcare system. This highlights the need to uncover effective ways to structure wellbeing messages for the LGBTQ+ community, particularly the parents. An editorial review was undertaken to identify the best practice and guidance for constructing effective health information messages to cater to the LGBTQ+ community.
Using Baby Buddy as a digital intervention targeting diet and physical activity in pregnancy

In pregnancy, eating well, keeping active, and avoiding excessive weight gain are associated with better maternal and foetal health outcomes. Baby Buddy is a free pregnancy and parenting app, designed to support parents, improve health outcomes, and reduce inequalities. The app is actively used within the UK National Health Service and it offers an ideal platform for delivering and evaluating a new prenatal dietary and physical activity intervention.
Baby Express impact and evaluation

Baby Express magazine is designed to support parents in the first year of their child’s life providing practical advice guidance tips and signposting to additional support.
Small Wonders impact and evaluation

Impact and Evaluation report for our Small Wonders project.
Out of the Blue impact and evaluation

Out of the Blue is a series of films, created by Best Beginnings, to to support parents and soon-to-be parents wellbeing, where everyone knows that mental health is as important as physical health. Learn more here.

Breastfeeding Videos

Your guide to breastfeeding and how to do it successfully.
The Baby Buddy App
If my baby's hungry after a breastfeed does it mean I haven't got enough milk?

A lot of parents worry that their baby may not be getting enough milk. But as long as your baby is weeing and pooing often, and gaining weight, then you don't need to worry. Learn more here.
From Bump to Breastfeeding

From Bump to Breastfeeding is a project to support women with breastfeeding. It includes a set of films following the journey of mums who decide to breastfeed their babies to provide support and information for parents. Learn more here.
5. Graphic of a baby attaching on the breast
Out of the Blue

Mental health resources to support parents who may experience a wide range of emotional problems: from generalised low mood and anxiety to severe depression and postpartum psychosis. Best Beginnings' participation in the Heads Together campaign, spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The National Teenage Pregnancy Midwifery Network

Working to improve outcomes for teenage parents and their children by developing maternity services to meet their needs. Learn more about the National Teenage Pregnancy Midwifery Network here.
Small Wonders

Supporting you when your baby is sick or premature. Small wonders project include 12 bite-size films following families and their journey in neo-natal units. Learn more here.
The Baby Buddy App

The award-winning and free pregnancy and parenting app full of trusted information for mums, dads and caregivers during pregnancy, birth and baby's first year. Endorsed by Royal Colleges and other leading health organisations in the UK.
Out of the Blue Films Launched

23rd March 2017 marked the launch of Best Beginnings' Maternal Mental Health films, with a moving speech from HRH The Duchess of Cambridge and conversations between our parent contributors