The public health role of caseloading midwives in reducing health inequalities in childbearing women and babies living in deprived areas in England. The Mi-CARE Study protocol.

This paper outlines the protocol for a qualitative, Constructivist Grounded Theory study examining the public health role of NHS caseloading midwives working in areas of social deprivation in a large city in the south of England. Additionally, the research will also capture the health inequality and maternity care experiences of women receiving midwifery caseloading care. The research is being conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout the recovery and transformation period in the NHS. Through the use of semi-structured, remote interviews with women and midwives between November 2020 – March 2022, alongside document analysis, this research will develop new, midlevel theory which seeks to explain the social determinants impacting the lives of childbearing women from the perspectives of women themselves. Theory will also explain the specific actions caseloading midwives take to achieve equity in outcomes and experiences for women and babies living in areas of social deprivation. Examining the collective experiences of women and midwives from a grounded theory perspective, will contribute to the evidence base about the mechanisms underpinning the impact of midwifery continuity of care for those at greatest risk of health and social inequities and provide evidence about the specific public health interventions of caseloading midwives in a UK context