Frequently Asked Questions

What is Your Voice?

Your Voice: shaping the future of maternity and neonatal care is a national online Conversation for everyone working in and alongside NHS maternity and neonatal services in England.

For three weeks from Monday 21 September, you can share, anonymously, what would help you provide safer, more compassionate and equitable care: what you can change, what your organisation needs to change, and what national leaders need to understand or do differently.

• It’s anonymous. Your name isn’t attached to anything you share.

• It fits around you. Log in on any device, at any time, as often as you like.

• It will be heard. What you say will inform the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce’s National Action Plan, and participating organisations will get a report on what their own staff experience. We’ll come back and tell you what was heard and what happens next.

Take a look at the Welcome page for more information.

Who can get involved?

Your Voice is open to everyone working in or alongside NHS maternity and neonatal care in England.

What is a Conversation?

This is not a survey, the Conversation platform is hosted independently and works like an online discussion forum. It has been designed to be a psychologically safe place to share your views and have your voice heard. It’s an open and transparent space where you can post ideas and comments anonymously, vote to support the ideas of others, or simply read what is being shared.

How do I log in?

Getting into Your Voice is simple and secure. When you register, you’ll be sent a secure link, which will take you and straight into the conversation. You can log in as many times as you like to see how people are responding to your ideas, you don’t need to remember a password. Simply select Log in on the Your Voice website, enter your registered email address and we'll send you a fresh secure link.

When is the Conversation open?

The Conversation is open for three weeks, from Monday 21 September until 5pm on Monday 12 October.

How much time will it take?

As much or as little as you like. You could spend five minutes reading and voting on a break, or come back several times over the three weeks to share ideas and join discussions. There’s no form to complete and nothing to prepare.

What are the rules?

We welcome all ideas, including ones that may be controversial or about difficult topics. We ask that you are respectful in everything you share.
 
Please take a moment to read our Community Guidelines, which set out our simple Ground Rules:

• Keep it anonymous

• Keep it respectful

• Keep it relevant

• Keep it legal

Our Community Guidelines also include practical tips on using the platform and on having a good Conversation.

How can I contribute to the Conversation?

There are three main ways to contribute:

1. Adding Ideas
2. Commenting on the Ideas of others
3. Voting on the Ideas and comments of others

For more tips, take a look at our ‘How to have a good Conversation’ guide.

Do I have to make comments or post Ideas?

No. You can simply log in and read the discussion, or use the 'Agree' and 'Disagree' buttons to share your views. We believe everyone has something to contribute.

Is this really anonymous?

Yes. Your name and identifying information will not appear with any of your Ideas, comments or votes. This means other people will respond to what you say, not who you are.

When you register, we ask a few questions, such as your role and where you work. This helps us understand who has taken part and whose voices are missing. It is never shown alongside what you share, and reports only include findings for groups large enough to protect anonymity.

There are a small number of situations where we may need to act on what is shared. Please see ‘Our safeguarding responsibility’ below. Find out more about your anonymity here.

How is this different to the NHS Staff Survey?

Like the NHS Staff Survey, Your Voice is anonymous. Unlike the Staff Survey, it is a conversation. When you share an Idea, colleagues can agree, disagree, ask questions and build on what you said.

It’s a chance to discuss things you may not feel able to raise in person, with people you might not usually meet, from right across the country. It focuses on what should happen next, and everything you say will be read and considered.

How is this different from the Amos investigation?

The Amos investigation looked closely at what has gone wrong in maternity and neonatal care and what needs to change. Your Voice builds on that. It looks forward, and asks the people delivering care what would help turn that change into reality, and what gets in the way.

What will happen to what I say?

Everything shared will be read and analysed by Clever Together. The findings will be used in three ways:

• Nationally: to help the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce check, challenge and strengthen its National Action Plan, and to inform the longer-term Modern Service Framework

• Locally: participating Trusts will receive a report of what their own staff said, to help them understand where they need to act

• Back to you: we will tell you what was heard, what happens next and how your contribution has been used.

We can’t promise that every idea will be taken forward. If something can’t be, we’ll explain why.

How can I see the Conversation in other languages?

On desktop

In the top right-hand corner of your screen, you’ll see a translation icon that looks like this:

Click on this icon and a toolbar will appear at the top of your screen.

Click the same icon on this toolbar (fourth from the left) to open a dropdown. Scroll through the list or use the search function to choose your language.

On mobile

Follow the first step above and three icons will appear at the bottom of your screen. Tap the settings cog, then the translation icon (pictured above), and choose your language from the list. All the text on the page will be translated into your chosen language. You can change it back at any time by following the same steps.

What accessibility features are there on the platform?

As well as translating the page, you can also:

• Have the whole page read out loud
• Highlight blocks of text to be read out loud
• Display pictures related to selected text
• Convert selected text into an MP3 file
• Reduce screen glare and increase focus
• Magnify text
• Remove distracting content from pages

Select the question mark icon in the toolbar (pictured below) to find out more about using these features:

Why can’t I see the translation icon in the top right-hand corner?

Some ad blockers can stop the translation feature from showing. If you use an ad blocker, please turn it off for this site and refresh the page. If you still have trouble, please contact our team at support@clevertogether.com.

I can’t open the site on my work computer or phone. What should I do?

We have worked with NHS digital teams to make sure Your Voice can be reached from NHS devices and networks. If the site won’t load, please try another browser or your own device. You can also email support@clevertogether.com with the name of your organisation, and we’ll help sort it out.

How is the Conversation facilitated?

The Conversation is facilitated by the Clever Together team. To do this, the Facilitators may need to:

• Move some Ideas to other sections of the Conversation if they fit better there

• Split Ideas that cover more than one topic into separate posts

• Deal with inappropriate contributions, including removing Ideas or comments reported for breaking the Ground Rules

• Add comments inviting you to say more, or asking clarifying questions.

How is the Conversation analysed?

Every contribution, however large or small, will be read and analysed by Clever Together. They will build up a coding framework as they go and use qualitative thematic analysis to identify key themes and trends.

As well as the themes that emerge, the analysis will look closely at four areas highlighted by the Amos Review:

• racism and discrimination
• working within and between professions
• listening to women, birthing people and families
• improving working lives

Clever Together will produce reports showing the main areas of discussion and the strength of opinion, nationally and for participating organisations.

Who can I contact if I am having difficulty?

If you’re having difficulty using the platform, please email the Clever Together support team at support@clevertogether.com.

Our safeguarding responsibility

Your Voice aims to help shape what happens next in maternity and neonatal care. We recognise that thinking about your experiences, and some of the issues raised by the Amos Review, can be distressing.

If you need support, please talk to someone you trust, your line manager, or your organisation’s staff wellbeing or occupational health service.

Your Voice is not a route for reporting concerns that need action now. If you have a concern about patient safety or the conduct of an individual, please use your organisation’s usual reporting routes or speak to your Freedom to Speak Up Guardian.

Please don’t share anything that could identify patients, families or colleagues.

If something you share makes us worried about your safety, or the safety of others, we have a duty to act. If that happens, the Clever Together team would contact you by email to offer support.