Setting up a home birth service in East London: lessons learned and reflections on the first year

Abstract

A dedicated home birth team was established in a deprived inner London borough offering continuity of carer to women choosing home birth. Establishing a new service brought unique challenges, and the team was required to adapt quickly, introducing new ways of managing workload and adapting policies to suit the needs of the population and service. Reflecting on some of the challenges faced in the first year of operation is useful to allow the team to learn and grow, and to help others to establish similar services in their area.