What has the AIMS Campaigns Team been up to this quarter?

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 2

Other quarterly updates

By the AIMS Campaigns Team

Written outputs:

• Letter to Peter May, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health in Northern Ireland about the likely impact of the withdrawal of regional guidelines on homebirth and midwife-led care in the maternity services

• Joint authorship of article discussing public support for midwifery continuity of carer in The Practising Midwife, March 2023

Conferences and meetings attended:

• 2nd February Westminster Health Forum conference - Priorities for delivering long-term progress in the NHS (online)

• 6th February GOLD Midwifery Online Conference keynote presentation Shoulder Dystocia: Prediction, Prevention, and Appropriate Response

• 7th February London Maternity & Midwifery Festival (online)

• 7th February and 13th March NHS England Maternity Transformation Programme: Stakeholder Council meetings (online) to discuss the Single Delivery Plan

• 7th February Webinar Pregnancy in prison: What midwives can do by Level Up

• 8th February Inaugural NHS England National Maternity research strategy conference (online)

• 10th February and 21st April Maternity Continuity Network meeting (online)

• 14th February NMC webinar on Updated standards for pre-registration midwifery programmes

• 3rd March and 10th March launch of new content by Safer Beginnings (a joint programme of work by Best Beginnings and the White Ribbon Alliance UK) in the Baby Buddy app, that is aimed to enable, educate and support people on maternity journeys

• 7th March NIHR webinar, Reflections on impact & evaluation of public involvement: Who, Why, & What?

• 8th March Online book launch ‘Supporting Physiological Birth Choices in Midwifery Practice’

• 13th March Research seminar The influences of facilitators and barriers on the implementation of a physiological approach: in two obstetric units in England - City University of London

• 20th-21st March - NHS England Maternity and Neonatal Summit, Leeds

• 24th-26th March - Doula UK Conference

• 30th March - RCM Shared Voices project co-production session

• 30th March - NHS England Board meeting (online, observer)

• 18th April - Midwifery Continuity of Carer implementation evaluation stakeholder event, City University of London

• 18th April All Ireland 2023 Maternity & Midwifery Festival

• 24th-26th April International Normal Labour and Birth Conference, by the Research in Childbirth and Health (REACH) Group, University of Central Lancashire

• Throughout the period: ongoing meetings with other stakeholders about Continuity of Carer implementation

• Throughout the period: attendance at Maternity and Midwifery Hour (online) - every Wednesday, 7-8pm (usually live, sometimes on catch up)

Who we have been corresponding with:

• NHS England and other stakeholders on the withdrawal of entonox in some Trusts in England and on next steps for the Maternity Transformation Programme’s Stakeholder Council

• Lobbying Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in a call to action on the Maternity Services in Northern Ireland

What we’ve been reading:

• NICE Quality Standard on antenatal care updated on 14 February 2023

• ‘I kept begging for pain relief’: the women forced to give birth without gas and air - The Guardian

• Healthwatch England survey on experiences of 6-week postnatal mental health checks: Six-week postnatal checks are failing many new mothers

• Maternal Health and Care in London - Report of the London Assembly Health Committee April 2023

• Black maternal health (parliament.uk) report by the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee March 2023

• Draft update of NICE Guideline Intrapartum care for healthy women and babies published 25th April 2023

What we’ve been watching:

• The launch of the 2023 Lancet series on breastfeeding

Thanks to all the AIMS campaigns Volunteers who have made this work possible. We are very keen to expand our campaigns team work, so please do get in touch with campaigns@aims.org.uk if you’d like to help!