The Hertfordshire and West Essex Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) is a partnership of organisations working together to deliver improvements in local maternity and neonatal services.
Our LMNS covers the populations of Hertfordshire and West Essex (which includes Harlow, Epping, Ongar and Uttlesford).
If you live in these areas, the majority of your midwifery care, obstetric consultant care and neonatal care will be provided by our maternity services at one of the following hospitals – Lister Hospital, Watford General Hospital and The Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Some women/birthing people, babies and families with special requirements or those who live close to neighbouring hospitals may access services outside this area.
Our LMNS supports hospitals to provide care that is safe and personalised in line with the Better Births national review. We want to make sure that all pregnant people experience the best possible care during their pregnancy, and their babies have the best possible start in life.
The LMNS helps to support and bring together all the people, services and organisations involved in providing maternity and neonatal care in Hertfordshire and west Essex. This includes people using our services, midwives, obstetricians, neonatal staff, hospital and other healthcare managers, perinatal mental health services, commissioners, early years services, public health services, educators and GPs.
You can email the LMNS or follow the work that we do on the LMNS Facebook page.
The Herts and West Essex LMNS online noticeboard has maternity and neonatal information in different languages. Please note that this noticeboard (often called a Padlet) might not be suitable for people using assistive technology. If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need multilingual information in a more accessible format, please contact us and tell us what information you need and what language and format you need it in.
Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP)
Each hospital has a Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) who ensure everyone accessing our maternity services has a voice and are able to help shape the care they are receiving.
The Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership, is a volunteer group of women/birthing people and their families who work with midwives, doctors and other health professionals to review and contribute to the development of local maternity and neonatal care at each hospital.
MNVPs are also represented at Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) level
You can find information about each of the MVNP groups in Hertfordshire and west Essex below:
- Lister MNVP
- West Hertfordshire MNVP (Watford General Hospital)
- West Essex MNVP (Princess Alexandra Hospital)
