Case Study (Maternity Services): Including fathers in maternity unit design
What: Fathers Taking Place project
Who: Homerton Hospital NHS Trust
Where: Hackney, East London
When: Ongoing
Public governors at Homerton Hospital NHS Trust are working with the trust management to develop a hospital which is more inclusive of fathers and emphasises their role in their children’s birth.
So far this work has involved developing surveys of fathers’ experiences, and creating art/design features such as tiling for ensuite bathrooms in the hospital’s new perinatal unit which will feature fathers’ testimonies about their feelings before, during and after the birth. These will be handwritten in the father’s first language and transferred onto natural stone tiles.
For a brief outline about the project click here.
James Torr, a ‘home dad’ who was elected as one of the Homerton Hospital’s public governors in January 2007, has taken a lead on the project. For more details email him on jamestorr@email.com or tel 020 7920 0676.
Tags: Maternity