A dedicated team of specialist midwives, a maternity support worker and a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist are celebrating the fourth anniversary of their launch at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) in 2021. Known as the Phoenix Midwifery team, the group specialise in providing expert care to young parents aged 20 and under.

While the rate of teenage pregnancy in the UK has declined significantly in recent years, with pregnancy rates for women aged under 18 having more than halved between 2011 and 2021, this age group can sometimes be challenged with additional complexities, including physical and mental health issues, and social difficulties. The Phoenix Midwifery team was therefore set up to provide specialist support to these young parents.

The phoenix is a mythical golden bird associated with renewal and regeneration. Some young parents may come from disadvantaged, deprived or abusive backgrounds, and so may view having a baby as a new chance of life.

At the heart of their approach is the continuity of carer model—an evidence-based method shown to build trust, improve outcomes, and reduce inequalities. Phoenix Midwifery puts this into practice by ensuring that every young parent has access to a named midwife, direct contact details for reassurance, additional antenatal appointments at a time and location that suits them, personalised antenatal education through both group and one-to-one sessions and labour care provided by a Phoenix midwife.

The team offer personalised care planning alongside a dedicated consultant to enable shared decision making and tailor care for those that are considered high-risk. Care continues well after birth with 28 days of at-home postnatal support and postnatal meet-up groups (called Phoenix Hubs) alongside the Kent Family Hubs.

The Phoenix Midwifery team improve outcomes for babies with the rate of pre-term births having almost halved and the number of babies benefiting from at least an hour of skin to skin contact after birth increasing since launch. Through the team’s advocacy, they are also seeing generational patterns of abuse and disadvantage start to change.

They are able to support young mothers to continue their education, and help families overcome barriers to care in cases where levels of literacy are low, English isn’t the first language, or adjustments are required for those with autism, neurodiversity and learning disabilities.

Phoenix Midwifery Team Leader, Ebony Brown, said, “As a team, we believe every young parent deserves compassion and understanding, and a midwife who sees their potential, not just their age. There is nothing more rewarding than supporting them through the process and watching them turn into incredible parents.”

One service user told us that she was “so grateful to have been under the care of the Phoenix Team for both of my births. Being a young mum, you worry about how people may judge you or treat you. I can honestly say that I never had to experience that ever, everyone on the team is so friendly and positive.”

If you’d like to find out more about our Phoenix Midwifery team, please email mtw-tr.phoenixmidwifery@nhs.net.