New Maternity Personalised Care and Support Planning booklet launched across Cheshire and Merseyside

Wednesday, 26 November 2025

Outline of a pregnant woman set against colorful horizontal bands in orange, pink, and purple. Text reads "My Choices for Pregnancy, Birth and Early Parenthood: Bump, Baby and Beyond. Supporting Your Pregnancy Journey through Personalised Care" by NHS Cheshire and Merseyside.

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) is proud to launch a new Maternity Personalised Care and Support Plan (PCSP) booklet, developed in partnership with a range of stakeholders across the region.

This booklet supports personalised maternity care, centred on the unique needs and circumstances of individuals and families using maternity services across Cheshire and Merseyside.

Personalised care gives people choice and control over how their care is planned and delivered. It is based on evidence, what matters to them, and their individual risk factors and needs. 

The new booklet, ‘My Choices for Pregnancy, Birth and Early Parenthood - Bump, Baby and Beyond’, is a conversational tool to help people using maternity services think about what’s important to them and their families, and to understand how women and birthing people are feeling. It encourages questions and informed choices and covers the entire journey from pregnancy through to birth and the postnatal period.

Co-produced with key stakeholders including service users and healthcare professionals, this booklet will support maternity providers across Cheshire and Merseyside in meeting the following aims, aligned with the technical criteria set out in NHS England’s Personalised Care and Support Planning Guidance for Local Maternity Systems:

  1. People are central in developing and agreeing their PCSP, including deciding who is involved in the process.
  2. People have proactive personalised conversations that focus on what matters to them, paying attention to their needs and wider health and wellbeing.
  3. People agree the health and wellbeing outcomes they want to achieve in partnerships with the relevant professionals.
  4. Each person has a sharable PCSP that records what matters to them, their outcomes and how they will be achieved.
  5. People are able to formally and informally review their PCSP.

The PCSP recognises that every woman, birthing person, and family is unique, with individual needs, which influence both the care provided and the choices made. The development of the Maternity PCSP booklet aims to empower individuals on their journey to parenthood by supporting informed decision-making and respecting personal circumstances - ensuring each person receives the best possible care.

Catherine McClennan, Programme Director for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Women’s Health and Maternity Programme and LMNS Senior Responsible Officer, said:

Information:

“We are excited to launch the Maternity PCSP booklet - a resource shaped by the valuable contributions of families and healthcare professionals across Cheshire and Merseyside.

“Listening and responding to all women and families is an essential part of safe and high-quality care. It improves the safety and experience of those using maternity and neonatal services and helps address health inequalities.”

We would like to thank all those who contributed to help shape and develop this booklet.

To view a copy of the My Choices for Pregnancy, Birth and Early Parenthood - Bump, Baby and Beyond booklet, please click here.

This can also be found on the Cheshire and Merseyside Women’s Health and Maternity App which can be downloaded via Google Play and the Apple App Store.

To find out more visit https://improvingme.org.uk/maternity/personalised-care-in-maternity/