At PACE, we believe the most effective health solutions are created with communities, not for them. That’s why we are currently co-developing a Maternal Vaccine Conversations Toolkit in partnership with Black mothers, midwives, and community groups in Luton and Bedfordshire.
Maternal vaccination rates remain significantly lower among Black women, who are up to half as likely to receive recommended vaccines during pregnancy compared to White women. Standard campaigns often miss the mark, failing to address issues of trust, safety, and cultural context.
This pilot project brings together 10–12 Black pregnant women and new mothers in a series of participatory workshops to:
Share lived experiences and barriers to maternal vaccine uptake.
Co-design solutions, messages, and trusted formats for information-sharing.
Develop a Toolkit to support conversations between healthcare professionals and families.
Over the coming months, we’ll refine the toolkit with feedback from mothers, midwives, and community organisations. A final version will be shared with NHS services and local partners in mid-2026. We’ll also publish a short learning report to capture the process, challenges, and lessons for scaling this work.
This project is a live example of how creative participatory methods can directly tackle health inequities. By centring mothers’ voices, we’re building a resource that is practical, culturally grounded, and immediately usable in frontline care.
👉 Stay tuned for updates as we move from co-design to launch!