Product details

This case outlines the problems faced by a newly formed Maternity Management Team (MMT) in 1994. This team was tasked with undertaking a strategic review of the maternity service as currently offered. The ultimate aim was to make recommendations on how to reverse the decline in deliveries (thus loss of income against contract) and determine a corporate strategy for change, with both long and short term objectives. The Trust was already juggling the many problems already facing the NHS; financial pressures, employee relations, marketing issues and organisational change. 5,800 babies had been delivered in 1994, a reduction on the previous year's activity of 300 cases (5%). The team needed to reach an understanding of both the obvious and underlying reasons for this loss of activity and investigate why women were apparently choosing to go elsewhere. The most immediate issue of this cross-functional case is strategic review but it also provides an opportunity to examine other key issues and subject areas in a public sector context, such as marketing.