Understanding a Minority Group's (Roma) Experiences of Access and Quality in Maternity Services

This study collaboration between academic researchers, staff from the Health Service Executive (HSE), and Cairde, a community health development organisation, aimed to involve all stakeholders, including members of the Roma Community, in the co-design approach that allowed the capture of the experiences and perspectives of Roma women on engaging with maternity services while giving birth in Ireland. Staff from Cairde, including members of the Roma Community, co-designed a series of workshops and a questionnaire and provided support on the set-up and delivery of the workshops and questionnaire. This collaboration resulted in the successful delivery of focus groups, informational sessions and a questionnaire, with full participation from the eight participants. Two of the eight Roma women who participated in the workshops were also involved in the co-design process. Staff from Cairde, including members of the Roma Community, also contributed to the interpretation of findings and drafting of the papers. Partnering with Cairde afforded privileged access to the Roma Community, allowing the research team to engage with this seldom-heard group. The many barriers to this engagement were addressed through partnering with an organisation with the trust of the Roma community and with the capacity to participate.