Can I save my responses and return later?
Yes. Every time you click ‘Next’ your responses are saved automatically. If you click ‘Save’, your responses are saved (even if you are only halfway through a page) and you are logged out. You or a colleague can then return later. You can also print your responses. When navigating through the survey, please only use the survey ‘Back’ button, not the ‘Back’ button of your browser, as the latter may log you out and lose your responses.
Can I share my log in details with colleagues?
Yes – in fact it is probably a good idea to involve colleagues in the completion of sections of the survey, for example your obstetric or neonatal leads, or the lead midwife of a midwife-led unit. The sections have been numbered and the survey overview page also lists a suggested respondent, although it is up to the lead respondent to decide who will be best placed to complete each section.
Please do not share your log in details with anyone from a different Trust or Board, as they will have been sent their own unique Trust/Board details to log in to the survey tailored to their organisation.
I have lost my log in details and/or survey link
Please contact us via nmpa@rcog.org.uk or 020 7772 6206 or 6482.
We provide NHS intrapartum care but have not been sent a survey
All maternity services which provide NHS intrapartum care in maternity units in England, Scotland and Wales should have been sent a survey link and log in details. Unfortunately, data legislation currently prevents Northern Ireland from participation in the National Maternity and Perinatal Audit. If you think you should have been sent the survey, please contact us via nmpa@rcog.org.uk.
Are all questions mandatory?
They are (except free text and 'other' boxes), but the questions you are asked are tailored to your organisation and to previous answers. Most mandatory questions have red question numbers. For some questions, you may not have the information immediately to hand, and these can initially be skipped so they do not prevent you from progressing through the survey. These have blue question numbers. If they have not been completed you will be reminded at the end of the survey section and you will not be able to submit the section until they have been completed.
I do not have all information immediately to hand – what do I do?
You can either use the printable version of the survey available here to see what information you need to gather and complete the survey in one go when you have this, or you can start the survey online and temporarily skip over the relevant questions (the survey has been set up to accommodate this for questions for which you may not have the necessary information to hand). You will be reminded prior to submission if any of these questions are still incomplete. For some questions there is the option to indicate that you do not collect this information, but where you do, we would be very grateful if you could try and provide the information requested.
What do I do if the details of the survey we have been sent are not correct?
- If the units listed for your Trust/Board on the survey overview page are incorrect or if there is a unit missing at which you do provide intrapartum care, please let us know as soon as possible via nmpa@rcog.org.uk.
- If a unit listed on the overview page is no longer used for intrapartum care, please just omit the relevant sections and mention this in the configuration changes free text box in the general section.
- If the Head/Director of Midwifery has changed, the details can be updated in the survey by overtyping the pre-loaded information but please also let us know via nmpa@rcog.org.uk, so that we can update our records and ensure communications go to the right person.
- For other issues please contact us via nmpa@rcog.org.uk.
Why do I sometimes see an empty page?
The survey is tailored based on your answers and on preloaded information, which means that some questions may be skipped. If you see a page without questions, simply click ‘Next’.
Why are some question numbers not consecutive?
The survey is tailored based on your answers and on preloaded information, which means that some questions (or parts of questions) may be skipped. The downloadable PDF of the survey shows all questions.
I can’t get past the first page of the general section
Please ensure you have ticked at least one box in both columns of question G3 (changes in the last 3 years, and in the next 3 years).
Is the online survey secure and conform to GDPR?
The survey uses Snap professional survey software, with a log in for each Trust/Board. Snap offers a secure environment for data submission and is used by NHS and government organisations. The Snap servers used for the NMPA are located in the UK. You can find details about Snap’s security here: http://www.snapsurveys.com/survey-software/security-accessibility-and-professional-outline/
The survey only contains general questions about service provision and does not include any questions related to individual maternity service users.
How will the information be used?
The information from the organisational survey will primarily be used for the NMPA organisational survey report and online results, some of which will be aggregated, and some of which will be published at Trust/Board or unit level. In addition, the survey will provide an important background for the continuous and sprint audits, so that the organisational context is taken into account when looking at the clinical data.
Third parties can apply to the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP, the data controller), for access to the NMPA data for the purpose of quality improvement, such as service evaluation and audit - provided certain conditions are met. This would include organisational data. More information can be found here: http://www.hqip.org.uk/national-programmes/a-z-of-nca/audits-and-data-gov-uk/.
HQIP also works with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to use national audits to support CQC inspections and quality improvement work; see https://www.hqip.org.uk/national-programmes/clinical-audit-benchmarking/#.XAe7hulvhaQ for more details.
Do we have to participate in the organisational survey?
Trusts are required to participate and report on all National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP) projects as part of their NHS Standard contract. All NHS maternity units in England, Scotland and Wales are therefore expected to participate in the NMPA, including the organisational survey. This wide participation will give a rich overview of the services and will allow meaningful comparisons to be made. We have done our best to make the survey as short and as easy to complete as possible, and each section should take no more than about 5 minutes to complete if you have the required information to hand.
How were the survey questions decided on?
The questionnaire was developed iteratively with input from a range of lay and expert stakeholders, including midwives, obstetricians, neonatologists, anaesthetists, commissioners, and organisations representing the women who use the maternity service and their families. Survey objectives and a broad range of possible questions and topic areas were formulated following review of current national guidance and policy, standards published by the Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and other relevant professional bodies, and recommendations from the English national maternity review and Scottish national maternity and neonatal care review.
Where questions are based on existing standards or recommendations these are referenced with the information icons in the online survey. Some questions are asked primarily for context to the NMPA clinical audits and some are aligned with previous organisational surveys of the maternity services conducted by the Healthcare Commission, the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit and the National Audit Office so changes over time can be shown. Some questions in the second survey have been updated to reflect developments in maternity care provision and policy.
Has the survey been piloted?
Yes, the first organisational survey was piloted with 9 Trusts and Boards with very different organisational set-ups across the country and adjustments were made based on their very helpful feedback to make completing the survey as easy as possible. Most questions in the second survey are the same as, or very similar to those in the first survey.
How do you define the different unit types?
Please see Definitions used in the second organisational survey.
What is meant by caseloading and team continuity of carer models
Please see Definitions used in the second organisational survey.
Who do I contact if my question is not answered here?
You can contact us via nmpa@rcog.org.uk (this is usually the quickest way), or telephone 020 7772 6206 or 6482.