Dear all,

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:  

Research Prioritisation Project

The Steering Group for our project meets for the first time on 11 September 2023. The membership of the group is made up of service users and representatives service user organisations and maternity care professionals (midwives, student midwives and maternity support workers). They will be steering our project and helping us to make key decisions along the way. We are also supported by Nahid Ahmad from the James Lind Alliance and Dr Yana Richens who was recently appointed as one of the NIHR Senior Research Leaders. Please see here here for more information. The first survey is due to be circulated in January 2024 and we hope you will get involved.

Would you like to co-lead the development of the Wales Research Strategy?

Health and Care Research Wales is looking for two part time post holders (up to three days each as job share) to jointly work with the Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Allied Health Professions Advisor and Chief Advisor of Research and Development/Director of Health and Care Research Wales (in Welsh Government) to undertake specific project work to develop a Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions (AHP) strategic research action plan for Wales.

Expressions of Interest are invited in the form of a one-page document outlining your suitability to undertake this project, to be submitted by 15:00 on 20 September 2023. Midwives are encouraged to apply. Click here for more information.

MBRRACE-UK Perinatal virtual conference 14 December 2023

At this one-day virtual conference:

• MBRRACE-UK confidential enquiry into baby deaths, exploring the impact of ethnicity on care and outcomes
• National Perinatal Mortality Surveillance for Births in 2021
• National Perinatal Mortality Review Tool Annual Report 2023

This virtual conference would be of interest to any health professionals involved in the delivery of maternity and neonatal care and members of the public with an interest. Click here to book your ticket. 

Introduction to systematic reviews and health economics – online courses

Southampton Health Technology Assessments Centre courses are designed for health professionals, academics and decision makers with some understanding of health and related research.  Taught live online in small groups they are a convenient way to access these specialist skills. Click here to learn more.

Northern Ireland Public Health Research Network

NPHRN membership is free, and it can help with knowledge brokerage, identifying collaborators and PPIE support. For more details, click here. 

Midwives using Instagram

Anna Marsh, a 2022 award winner of the RMC/Wellbeing of Women Entry Level Scholarship has published a paper from her research. You can read this open access paper here. 

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are undertaking some work around supporting this role 

With best wishes, 

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field  

RCM Research Advisors 

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event. 

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub

Dear all,

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:  

RCM Research Prioritisation Project

On 17 July 130 people attended the online launch of our research prioritisation project. Attendees included midwives, student midwives, MSWs, women and representatives of service user organisations. There was a lot of interest and plenty of questions about the project. The link to the event recording can be found here and additionally on the RCM Research Hub. The opportunity to express your interest in becoming a member of the project Steering Group, or to register as a Project Partner or Interested Party is now open. If you are interested in getting involved, please complete the online form here, or via the RCM Research Hub. The deadline for membership of the Steering Group is midnight on Sunday 6 August. Registration as a Project Partner and Interested Party will remain open during the life of the project. 

We will be posting updates of this project on our Research Hub, so please check in here to keep up to date with progress. 

If you have any questions about the project, please contact us at [email protected] . 

Introduction to Systematic Review - Ireland and Northern Ireland

This workshop which takes place over four mornings in October 2023 provides an in-depth understanding of how reviews are planned and conducted. It offers an insight to the development of a protocol, introducing participants to methodology, search methods, data extraction, risk of bias assessment and meta-analysis. The workshop will consist of a mixture of short presentations, led by members of the Cochrane Ireland teaching faculty covering each of the stages of developing a systematic review protocol, small group activities and plenary discussions, providing participants with the opportunity to develop and refine their protocol. This course will include blended learning with two months free access to Cochrane Interactive Learning self-directed learning modules, a number of which will be required study prior to the workshop. Tickets here.

Funding bids invited

In July 2023, the Race and Health Observatory published its review looking at neonatal assessment and practice in Black, Asian and ethnic minority neonates. The findings showed limitations in current policies and guidance for the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of jaundice in babies with darker skin tones. A recent publication by HSIB (Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch) further highlights the need for change in policy as well as clinical practice to ensure that all babies, including those with darker skin tones, receive adequate assessment, diagnosis, and treatment to prevent long term effects of jaundice such as kernicterus. At present, the majority of research and evidence is focused on hospital settings rather than in the community where early detection could prevent hospital admission, reduce the treatment required, and avoid long term health implications.

The RHO would like to commission an organisation, or groups of organisations, to synthesise the existing evidence on screening for jaundice in Black, Asian and ethnic minority babies and to outline clear and practical implications and recommendations for clinical practice, healthcare users and for their families.

Submissions are welcomed from all interested organisations. Tender submissions should be made by 19 September 2023. 

Click here to be taken to this opportunity.

UKRI Policy Internships scheme

If you are a doctoral student funded by one of the UK research councils of the UKRI you can apply for an internship at a selected group of influential policy organisations. This includes the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). Deadline 2 October 2023 UKRI Policy Internships scheme – UKRI

The use of digital (remote) clinical consultations in maternity care

Although digital clinical consultations have become more widespread in maternity services and national guidance has quickly been developed, the ways in which they can be optimally utilised remains unclear. A particular concern is to ensure that the increased use of digital consultations does not lead to inequalities in care or exclude any groups.

The RCM hosts details of the ARM@DA project on its research hub. This project represents a comprehensive review of the evidence base to inform future service developments or future research in this area of maternity care.

Join the team on 6th September to learn more about the project, our findings and recommendations. The webinar will be held on Microsoft Teams.

Click here to secure your place.

Monthly research blog

Our latest research blog comes from midwife Jayne Wagstaff My steps into maternity research (rcm.org.uk)

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are undertaking some work around supporting this role 

With best wishes, 

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field  

RCM Research Advisors 

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event. 

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub  

Dear all,

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:  

Research Prioritisation Project launch

The RCM is launching an exciting new project on 17 July 2023. We will be undertaking a research prioritisation project to establish the top 10 priorities for research and we want all members of our profession, together with student midwives, MSWs and service users to get involved. Please sign up and find out how you can become involved in this important national project. Click here to get your ticket for our online launch.

RCM/Wellbeing of Women (WoW) Entry Level Scholarship

Applications are open for the RCM/WoW fellowships with a deadline of 3 August 2023 by 1pm. This is a fantastic opportunity to receive up to £20,000 for an entry level scholarship and for this year,  £30,000 for a post doctoral fellowship. Applicants must be midwives and full members of the RCM and the research must be undertaken in the UK. If you have any questions about the award, the WoW team are very happy to help. The RCM is running for the second year our Buddy Scheme to help prospective applicants to develop a strong application. Here is the link to the RCM Research Awards Buddy Scheme and click here to find out more about the RCM/WoW funding opportunities.

Doctoral Fellowship award for midwives from Northern Ireland

Doctoral Fellowship Awards are available for health and social care professionals in Northern Ireland. The award will cover a maximum of 3 years full-time or 6 years part-time and is up to £250,000 per application. An award will provide support for the applicant’s salary costs, tuition fees, research expenses and conference travel. The deadline is 13 October 2023 at 2pm.

Click on this link for more information.

Principle Investigator Pipeline Programme – NIHR

The new NIHR’s Principal Investigator Pipeline Programme (PIPP) aims to address some of the current gaps in career opportunities for research delivery midwives by supporting them to become Principal Investigators (PIs) to deliver NIHR portfolio studies. There are four elements to undertake in the programme and there is more information here. The scheme is free to take part.

Resources for researchers

The NIHR ARC East Midlands team has developed implementation training booklets and are wish to share them.  There are four booklets are available:   

• Implementation: Principles and Perspectives
• Engagement, Involvement & Coproduction
• Planning for Impact
• Measuring & Evidencing Impact

The ARC recommends using the booklets to help research teams to get their work implementation ready – or to work on a journey towards this. Evidence based, they provide guidance and learning, with links to other useful resources. Download free of charge here: http://tinyurl.com/ARCimpsci

Two free courses

Future Learn is hosting two free new courses aimed at researchers:

Improving Healthcare Through Clinical Research - FutureLearn – A recommended commitment of 4 hours a week for 4 weeks, developed by the University of Leeds and NIHR.

How to Write a PhD Research Proposal - Online Course - FutureLearn – A recommended commitment of 2 hours a week for 5 weeks. Developed by the University of Leicester.

Maternity Research Map

Please add yourself to our maternity research map if you are involved in, or have an interest in, maternity research. We welcome interested people from any profession, any discipline and any country. We hope this is becoming a very useful networking tool for maternity researchers who can find others with their interests RCM Maternity Research Map.

Monthly Research Blog

This month’s blog has been written by midwife Felitta Burney-Nicol and you can read it here

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are undertaking some work around supporting this role 

With best wishes, 

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field  

RCM Research Advisors 

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event. 

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub 

Dear all,

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:  

RCM/Wellbeing of Women Research Awards – now open for applications

Applications are now open for midwife members of the RCM to apply for a prestigious RCM/WoW Early Entry Scholarship award. Each successful candidate will receive up to £20,000 for research lasting normally up to one year. Please click here for more information. This year, we are also supporting post-doctoral research and have a £30,000 award for an early career midwife researcher, who has been awarded an MD of PhD within the last 7 years. Both schemes are for midwives based in the UK and who are RCM members. Applications close on 3 August 2023.

We know how daunting it can be to apply for a research award when you have little experience. We started our Buddy Scheme last year to support anyone who is interested in applying. Previous award winners generous give their time to help with the application process. Please take a look here for more information.

International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Triennial Congress

Many of you will know that the ICM congress takes place 11-14 June 2023 in Bali (Midwives 2023) with a theme of ‘Together again: from evidence to reality’. The RCM Research Advisors, Jenny Cunningham and Jude Field, will be presenting their work on how they developed the Research and Development Strategy and are now implementing it. We are looking forward to meeting those of you who are attending. We are presenting in one of the concurrent sessions ‘professional development – supports’, alongside other speakers on Wednesday 14 June 14.00-15.30.  Please come to the RCM stand at the conference and say hello to us.

Research Prioritisation Project

We will be launching this exciting new project on Monday 17 July 2023. Please click the link here and register your interest in attending. We will be working with the The James Lind Alliance to establish a ‘top ten’ list of research priorities for maternity and midwifery care. We will work with midwives, student midwives, maternity support workers, women and birthing people during the project, which we expect will finish in May 2025. 

Chief Midwifery Officer for England’s strategic plan for research

The RCM welcomes the publication of the first maternity research strategy from the Chief Midwifery Officer for England. Dr Sara Webb, MIDIRS, Head of Midwifery Information and Resource Services, has written a blog in response One giant step: Can the new strategy kickstart maternity research? (rcm.org.uk). There is a link to the new strategy in Sara’s blog.

A critique of the FRENCH-ARRIVE trial – new book

We are very pleased to let you know about a book written by midwives Raymonde Gagnon and Claudine Schalck about the FRENCH-ARRIVE trial. There is an article in the Lancet which you can read here.

Here is the link to the book if you wish to buy it.

We met Raymonde, a professor at the Université du Québec è Trois-Rivières at the International Labour and Birth Conference in Grange-over-Sands at the end of April. She is also our first maternity researcher from outside the UK on our Maternity Research Map – please complete your details if you have not already done so.

Evidence to support improvement in maternity care

This collection from the NIHR highlights evidence from recent research to support improvement in four priority areas Maternity services: evidence to support improvement (nihr.ac.uk). Please take a look at this important resource.

Save the date – Health and Care Research Wales Conference

The conference will be held on 12 October 2023 in person in Swansea. Please share the date to midwife researchers  Health and Care Research Wales Conference 2023 | Health Care Research Wales.

Valid Informed Consent in Research

This course, which is online, is aimed at research staff working in NHS research and social care settings who are involved in the recruitment of people to research studies. Topics include an awareness of the law and consent, the consent process, the skills and knowledge necessary and ethical issues in consent. The dates are 25-27 July, 10.00-12.00.

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are undertaking some work around supporting this role. 

With best wishes, 

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field  

RCM Research Advisors 

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event. 

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub 

Dear all,

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:  

RCM/Wellbeing of Women Entry level Scholarship - 2023

The call for applications for this award will go out on 11 May. The WoW scholarships will fund pre-doctoral candidates up to £20,000 for research lasting normally up to one year. To apply you need to be a UK midwife and a member of the RCM. Funds are for directly incurred research costs and may include a salary contribution. The research must be undertaken in the UK. 

Scholarships will be considered for basic science, clinical and translational research that seeks to improve the health of women, girls and babies in one of the following areas: 

• Pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period 
• Gynaecological cancers 
• General wellbeing issues surrounding women’s reproductive and gynaecological health 

Awards are intended to provide ‘pump-priming’ funds to enable graduates to be exposed to a research environment and to obtain pilot data that will enhance an application for a research fellowship (PhD or MD). Applicants would normally be new to the research discipline and will not previously have been heavily involved in substantial or funded research projects. An ELS is not intended as a ‘top-up’ for existing grants. Its primary purpose is to support a single individual at an early stage of their research career.

We have the RCM Research Awards Buddy Scheme to support you in your application.  The buddies are all previous award winners who have kindly offered to support others interested in applying for the award. 

RCBCWales First into Research Fellowship Call 2023 - now open 

Research Capacity Building Collaboration Wales (RCBCWales) is pleased to announce that a call for First into Research (FiR) Fellowships (commencing in September 2023) is now open. Midwives are encouraged to apply.

Applications are invited from eligible registered health professionals for RCBCWales fellowships funded by Health and Care Research Wales. Fellowships will be awarded to the six collaborating Universities.

Nursing and Midwifery Research Portal – NIHR

The Nursing and Midwifery Research Portal has been set up to expand capacity and support the development of a skilled clinical academic research workforce in nursing and midwifery professions. Here is the link NMW Incubator (nmresearch.org.uk)

Free online research courses

Here are two free research modules you can take online, both via the Future Learn website:

Introduction to Research Ethics - Online Course (futurelearn.com)

What is Health Research? Online Course - FutureLearn

New guidance for easier payment of public research contributors

Slow and complicated payment procedures for public contributors, patients and members of the public who contribute to research, have been identified as a key barrier to inclusive and accessible public involvement, recognised by all five nations across the UK and Ireland.

Developed by Health and Care Research Wales, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and the Health Research Authority, this guide aims to support organisations to easily pay contributors by:

• describing principles of payment for public contributors and key challenges currently faced in the sector such as inflexible payment systems, inconsistencies within departments and contradictory information
• provide direction to those managing and administering payment, and support them to understand employment status and tax regulations
• signpost to information and HMRC guidance in order to inform decisions on payments based on the involvement activities such as attending events, seminars, remote document review etc. 
• New guidance for easier payment of public research contributors | Health Care Research Wales (healthandcareresearchwales.org)

The Health Research Authority (HRA) People Centred Clinical Research Survey

The HRA has been working in partnership with members of the public, the research community and the University of Lincoln to develop the People-Centred Clinical Research project, which aims to improve the way clinical research happens and make it better for all people to take part.

As part of the project there is a survey to ask people to share their experiences of clinical research, and to let us know what they think about the six proposed ‘hallmarks’ of people-centred clinical research. The HRA would like to hear from patients, carers, healthcare professionals, researchers and members of the public (including those who’ve never taken part in research). Complete the survey here https://www.hra.nhs.uk/about-us/news-updates/share-your-feedback-and-help-us-improve-clinical-research/

Women’s experiences of over-the-counter and prescription medication during pregnancy in the UK: findings from survey free-text responses and narrative interviews

• Research published today has found a reluctance among healthcare professionals to prescribe and dispense otherwise recommended medications is risking the health – and lives – of pregnant women.
• Women reported pharmacists refusing to fulfil prescriptions that they had obtained from their GP, while others spoke of being made to feel “guilty” or like “the worst mother” for seeking medication to treat serious conditions.
• Due to fears about fetal harm, several participants discontinued advised treatments without medical consultation, resulting in hospitalisation or exacerbation of symptoms.
• The researchers conclude that “we all need to work harder to ensure pregnant women are able to access the right medicines for themselves and their baby”.

Full paper available, open access, here: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/3/e067987?rss=1

Our latest Research blog is by midwife and nurse Veronica Blanco Gutierrez and you can read it here To be or not to be, that’s the question (rcm.org.uk)

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are undertaking some work around supporting this role 

With best wishes, 

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field  

RCM Research Advisors 

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event. 

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub 

Dear all,

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:  

RCM Maternity Research Map

We launched our interactive maternity research map at the Education and Research Conference 27-28 March 2023. The Map has been created for maternity researchers across the UK to network and collaborate.  We aim to support the development of a community of midwives and other health care professionals who wish to work together on maternity research. We hope that this map enables you to find others working in your area of interest or in your region.

The map allows you to: 

• Upload a pin to the map so that information about your own research interests and location can be seen by others  
• Search for other midwife researchers and maternity researchers from across the UK or to find out who is working near you 
• Search by maternity research area or methodology that you are interested in  

Click here and take a look. There is a simple form to complete which means that we can put you on the map too.

RCM Buddy Scheme

A reminder that our buddy scheme is open for anyone who is thinking of applying for one of the  WoW-RCM Entry Level Scholarships - Wellbeing of Women (RCM/WoW ELF). This award opens on 8 May 2023 but you can get in touch with us now and we will match you up to a buddy who can help you with your application. Here is the link to the RCM Research Awards Buddy Scheme. You can download and complete a form giving us some details about your ideas and we will do the rest.

Advanced Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship

The HEE/NIHR ICA Advanced Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (ACAF) supports post-doctoral researchers to develop their academic career while developing their health or care career. It is part of the ICA programme. Midwives are eligible if they have a PhD (or soon to be awarded one).

Applicants for an ACAF may:

• have recently completed or soon be awarded a PhD but have yet to establish themselves as an independent researcher
• be starting to establish themselves as an independent researcher
• already be established as an independent researcher but have yet to be recognised as an international leader in their field
• be seeking to re-establish their research career following a significant career break
• be seeking to re-establish their research career following time back in health or care practice

If you do have a PhD, please consider added your doctoral thesis to our collection Doctoral Thesis Collection (rcm.org.uk)

RCM’s April Research Blog – Anna Marsh

This month’s blog is written by midwife Anna Marsh, a previous RCM/WoW ELF award winner and currently on a Pre-doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (PCAF). Anna writes about her research journey and we hope this will inspire others. Here is the link to her blog.

If you would like to write a blog for our monthly research series, please get in touch with us on the email below. We would love to hear from you.

The KCL Midwifery and Maternal Health Research Group is hosting a new quarterly webinar series starting April 20th with Dr Claire Feeley and Dr Hazel Keedle on 'Researching clinical practice-based issues: Supporting birth choices'. Register for free tickets here and/or share with your networks.

Webinar ‘Engaging with policy makers: can your research influence policy?’

National policy makers are a crucial audience for health and care researchers yet many researchers don't know how to connect with them.

This webinar from Professor Annette Boaz (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) will explain the important areas to consider when engaging with and sharing research knowledge with policy makers. It will also discuss potential challenges and practical tips. Please follow the link to book https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/engaging-with-policy-makers-can-your-research-influence-policy-tickets-559594822177?source=chainmail ‘

NIHR Committee Member development

The NIHR is seeking to appoint members to its Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme and Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme committees as Committee Member Development Scheme (CMDS) Participants.

These one year development opportunities are for midwives and nurses currently at Band 6 or above, or in an equivalent academic role who have a good understanding and experience of front-line health and care practice.

These are mentored roles and the level of responsibility given to CMDS participants will be at the discretion of each individual committee Chair and will depend upon the confidence and experience of the individual.

Please consider this opportunity. We would like to see more midwives in these influential roles. Applications close 23 May 2023. Here is the link for more information Nurse/Midwife Committee Member Development Scheme (CMDS) Participant (Ref - NMCMDS/23/01) | NIHR

Published Findings

The RCM supported Caroline Taylor’s study by hosting it on the Research Hub. Caroline has now published her findings which you can read here:

Provision of information by midwives for pregnant women in England on guidance on foods/drinks to avoid or limit | BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth | Full Text (biomedcentral.com)

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are undertaking some work around supporting this role 

With best wishes, 

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field  

RCM Research Advisors 

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event. 

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub 

Dear all,

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:  

RCM Small Research Awards

On 20 February we were pleased to announce the winners of our inaugural RCM Small Research Awards. The winners are:

Student Midwife category – Donna Jones, University of the West of Scotland 

Early Career Midwife category – Mhairi McLellan, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Midwife category – Sian Rogers, Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust

Many congratulations to you all.

The award ceremony is being held on Tuesday 28 March [Day 1 of the RCM Education and Research conference] and presented by our CEO Gill Walton. The ceremony will provide an opportunity for attendees to watch a 3minute video about the work that each winner undertook for their submission. These will also be shared on the RCM Research Hub. 

The standard across each of the award categories was very high and we encourage all the applicants to consider reapplying to these awards, and/or to other research opportunities. Many of the submissions were felt by the judges to be the basis of potential viable projects.

We anticipate that these awards will open again in October 2024. 

The RCM supported Wellbeing of Women Entry Level Scholarship

We anticipate that the RCM supported Wellbeing of Women Entry Level Scholarship will open soon. This award provides single candidates with up to £20,000 for UK research that seeks to improve the practice of midwifery and maternity services, including postnatal care. The research should normally last up to one year, and the funds are for directly incurred research costs and may include a salary contribution. Applicants must be midwives and full members of the RCM. 

The RCM Research Award Buddy Scheme is available to support anyone who is considering applying for this award. Our first Buddy-Applicant dyad has already been paired, so you don’t need to wait for the launch of the award to start preparing your application. 

February research blog

February’s research blog ‘My journey into maternity research’ was written by midwife Zoe Vowles. Zoe is a Clinical Research Midwife at Guys and St Thomas’ NHS and also is undertaking an NIHR pre-doctoral Clinical Academic Fellowship [PECAF] award. Zoe talks about her journey into research and the importance of reaching out to others for support and encouragement. You can hear Zoe speak about her work on day 1 of the Education and Research conference.

If you are a midwife and would like to write a blog about your role in research, please contact us.

The RCM Education and Research conference 2023

Final preparation are being made for our annual Education and Research conference in March. We are looking forward to two full days of engaging and inspiring sessions. Please contact [email protected] if you would like to be added to the reserve list for tickets. 

Opportunities

The global maternal and newborn health is hiring Research Fellows

The Quality Maternal and Newborn Care (QMNC) Research Alliance developed out of the seminal work published in the 2014 Lancet Series on Midwifery. Subsequent to the publication of this research the authors identified significant knowledge gaps and future research priorities. The alliance has developed a mission, vision, and strategic plan.

Normal Labour and Birth conference 2023 - 24-26 April, Grange-over-Sands, UK

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are undertaking some work around supporting this role 

With best wishes, 

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field  

RCM Research Advisors 

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event. 

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub 

Dear all 

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:   

Midwives who work in research – new monthly blog for 2023 

This year we’re planning to publish a blog each month, profiling the roles and experiences of midwives who work in research. This month Rachel Housego, midwifery lecturer at the University of Suffolk, writes about how conducting her Masters research project has had a profound effect on her midwifery practice, and personally. To read it, click here. If you would like to write a blog piece for us, please contact us for more information. 

The RCM’s Education and Research conference 28-29 March 2023 

The call for abstracts has closed but you can still register to attend the RCM Education and Research conference. Join us for a great couple of days meeting others, and hearing about the inspiring and impactful research that midwives are doing. Attendance is free for RCM members.  

RCM Small Research Awards 2023 

We are looking forward to announcing the first winners of the three new RCM Small Research Awards on 20 February. Look out for information about the winners on our Research Hub and on social media, and if you’re attending the Education and Research conference you will be able to hear more then. Thank you to everyone who applied. We’re hoping these awards will be an annual event, so look out for them opening next year!  

The Council of Deans of Health Research Month 2023  

This month there will be four webinars and a collection of podcasts and blogs. This year, each week of February 2023 will be dedicated to a new theme: Interdisciplinary, Impact, Inclusivity and International. Of particular interest is the ‘value and impact of midwifery research’ on 7 February.  Anyone with a university email can access the webinars. Here is the link. 

NIHR RfPB Nurses and Midwives  

This funding award will enable midwives and nurses to lead research that will benefit the health or wellbeing of patients and users of the NHS and social care services. The call offers researchers considerable flexibility to focus on any subject area or topic provided the application is within RfPB remit, which includes women’s reproductive health. 

Our partner the Wellbeing of Women gives more information here. 

Clinical Academics in Training Conference 7 June 2023 

CATAC is the only UK-wide cross-speciality conference for all aspiring clinical academics currently working in the UK. In this context, we use the term “clinical academics in training” to refer to any early career researcher in medicine or health, with clinical backgrounds in medicine, nursing, midwifery, dentistry, veterinary sciences, physiotherapy, radiography, or any other clinical profession. Applications for the CATAC 2023 event competitions are open until 16.00 GMT on Friday 27 January 

Ethics Committee membership 

Join a Research Ethics Committee (REC) to help protect research participants and develop new skills to support your career. As a REC member, you can have your say on research looking at some of the biggest challenges we face today. From cancer and dementia studies to COVID-19, committee members contribute to improving the lives of people living in Wales and beyond. You can read more here.

"Navigating the choppy waters of research” study day   

The Centre for outcomes and experience research in child health, illness and disability (ORCHID) is holding a virtual study day. It is free to attend. Here is the link for more information and booking.

New research paper about the value of Continuity of Care  

The findings from this interview study were that women at higher risk for preterm birth valued continuity of midwifery care across the care pathway and described the reassurance provided by having 24 h a day, seven days a week access to known midwives. You can view the article here.

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are undertaking some work around supporting this role  

With best wishes,  

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field   

RCM Research Advisors  

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event.  

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub  

Dear all

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:  

RCM Small Research Awards

The RCM Small Research Awards are an exciting new initiative, available only to RCM members. The aim of the awards is to create an opportunity for RCM members to undertake a research-based activity that could be of benefit to them later in their career – from making connections with midwives who already work in research, by deepening their research knowledge in a particular area of midwifery practice, or by developing a brief research proposal that could then be developed further in the future. 

There are three categories: student midwife (any year), early career midwife (within first 3 years of NMC registration) and midwife. 

If you would like further information or guidance, please email [email protected] and the RCM Research Advisors will respond.

The extended deadline for applications is midnight Sunday 5 February 2023

Click here for more information about each award and how to apply.

The RCM Education and Research Conference

The RCM is hosting our second joint Education and Research Conference, in Birmingham on the 28 and 29 March. The call for abstracts will open until midday 20 January. The conference is free for RCM members. For further information, to submit an abstract or to book your place, please click here.

RfPB Under-represented disciplines and specialisms highlight notice: Midwives and Nurses

The Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme invites applications from nurses and midwives to the first highlight notice of a series addressing NIHR strategy to strengthen careers of under-represented disciplines and specialisms. The call offers researchers considerable flexibility to focus on any subject area or topic provided the application is within RfPB remit. The call is for proposals up to £500,000 for a period of up to three years and follows RfPB tiered approach to funding limits according to the trajectory to patient benefit.

All applications to this highlight notice must have a midwife or nurse in an early stage of their research career as either the lead or joint-lead applicant. We are keen to encourage fresh ideas from new researchers and appropriate applications are welcomed from those with limited research experience when supported by an experienced, strong and multi-disciplinary team.

A webinar is being held on Monday 16 January 2023 at 2 pm with a live Q&A. More details here.

Team Wales: collaboration for resilience and growth

The call for poster and presentation abstracts for this event is now open, with a deadline of 23 January 2023. The presentations and/or posters should highlight achievements and successes in health and care research delivery across Wales. The organisers particularly welcome submissions around the theme of the event which is ‘collaboration for resilience and growth’ with the following focus:

• Innovation in research delivery
• Delivering industry research
• Primary Care research delivery
• Education, training and career development in research delivery settings

Here is the link with the details.

Involving the Public in the Design and Conduct of Research: Building Research Partnerships A virtual/online course for Researchers & Members of the Public

This free virtual course will look at practical ways to involve patients and the public as partners (PPI) in the research process. It will explore the issues related to becoming and being a member of the public involved in research and the role of researchers in facilitating this involvement. The Deadline for applications is Friday 27 January 2023 and the workshops are in either 16 or 21 February. Here is more information.

Mapping existing policy interventions to tackle ethnic health inequalities in maternal and neonatal health in England: a systematic scoping review with stakeholder engagement

The NHS Race and Health Observatory is calling for the development of a central data repository to map improvements around reducing poor outcomes in maternal and neonatal healthcare for Black, Asian and ethnic minority women. The research was carried out by the independent health organisation, the University of Liverpool and University of Warwick, which found few maternal policies developed by hospital trusts and other providers have a focus on addressing ethnic health inequalities across maternity care. Follow this link for more information.

Council of Deans for Health (CoDH)– Research Month, February 2023

The CoDH is holding a number of free webinars about research, including the ‘value and impact of midwifery research' on 6 February 3-4pm. Click here and take a look. Priority will be given to those with a university address.

Women’s Health: Why do women feel unheard?

This NIHR Evidence Collection brings together messages from research highlighted in accessible summaries - NIHR Alerts - over the past couple of years. In line with the Women’s Health Strategy, it draws on areas of healthcare specific to women, such as pregnancy and some cancers, along with common mental health conditions, osteoarthritis, dementia and other conditions which occur more often in women than men. Click here for more information.

Co-production resource library

After many years in the making the Co-Production Collective has launched its co-production Resource Library to use. Please explore it via this link.

New research about birth outcomes following stoma surgery for inflammatory bowel disease

The findings of this new study show an increased rate of elective CS compared to the general population. The overall CS rate was 73% (n-58), 44 of which were planned. This means that 55% of all the births were by planned CS. The authors question the reasons for the high rate of planned CS as the reasons are not fully understood. Different types of stomas will require different consideration re. type of birth. Midwives may find this information helpful when caring for women with stomas. Click here to read the full article.

And finally.... during 2023 we would like to support the profile of midwives who are involved in research through a series of monthly blogs. If you would like to write a blog about your experience in research, we would love to hear from you.

With best wishes, 

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field  

RCM Research Advisors 

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event. 

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub 

Dear all,

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information!

RCM Education and Research Conference 2023 

Bookings are open for our Education and Research conference next year, 28-29 March, 2023, which will be in-person in Birmingham. The conference is free for members, and we hope very much you will be able to attend. We have some excellent speakers lined up and lots of presentation slots for early career researchers. 

We have a call open for abstracts with a deadline of midday 20 January 2023. Please consider submitting one and disseminate widely. 

NIHR applications open

The Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme invites applications from midwives and nurses which will strengthen careers of under-represented disciplines and specialisms.  All applications to this highlight notice must have a midwife or a nurse in an early stage of their research career as either the lead or joint-lead applicant. The call offers researchers considerable flexibility to focus on any subject area or topic provided the application is within RfPB remit. We are keen to encourage fresh ideas from new researchers and appropriate applications are welcomed from those with limited research experience when supported by an experienced, strong and multi-disciplinary team. The NIHR is holding a webinar on Monday 16 January 2023 at 2 pm. To register your interest in attending, please complete the webinar sign-up form.   

More information can be found here.

Midwife Research Leaders survey 

As part of the National Maternity Research Programme led by Professor Jane Sandall, Head of Midwifery and Maternity Research at NHS England, midwife research leaders are invited to take part in a survey, which will help give more understanding about the current Midwifery Research Leader environment in the UK.  Little is currently known about the scope of midwives' involvement as Research Leaders within maternity systems and academic institutions and information from this survey may be used to help inform future development of the midwifery research workforce.  

The survey will take approximately 8 minutes to complete, please click HERE to complete it!

MOOC free online course 

Healthcare Selection and Recruitment: Design and Deliver Effective Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs). Learn how to design MMIs and ensure their effectiveness in selecting healthcare professionals and students. Click here for more information.

Experiences of midwifery care in English prisons  

The findings of this study  by Laura Abbot, RM, FRCM, were that women's experiences included: disempowerment due to limited choice; fear of birthing alone; and a lack of information about rights, with a sense of not receiving entitlements. Some women reported favourably on the continuity of midwifery care provided. There was confusion around the statutory role of UK midwifery. You can read the paper here.

Why do women feel unheard by healthcare professionals – evidence from the NIHR 

The recent Women’s Health Strategy for England reported that more than 4 in 5 (84%) women responding to their survey had at times felt that their healthcare professionals were not listening to them. The finding was echoed by recent focus groups. We need to understand why this happens. Why don’t women feel listened to? What can be done to improve their conversations with healthcare professionals? You can learn more about the findings here.

New studies on the RCM’s Research Hub 

The RCM has been supporting the Health and Social Care Workforce study since the pandemic. We encourage midwives to take part in the survey so our profession is reflected in the study findings. The website gives the findings from the previous five phases which you may be interested to read HSC Workforce Study and you can join the survey here or use the QR code in the image above. More information can be got by emailing [email protected]. 

The findings so far can be seen on this infographic:

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are undertaking some work around supporting this role  

With best wishes,  

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field   

RCM Research Advisors  

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event.  

For everything else, we continue to update our RCM Research Hub !

Dear all 

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:   

RCM Research News 

We will be promoting our brand new Small Research Awards each month until the submission deadline on 22 January 2023. Please take a look and submit an application. The successful applicants will receive a small monetary prize, a MIDIRS annual subscription and an opportunity to work with the RCM on a briefing paper. 

Our Doctoral Thesis Collection is also growing. If you have a PhD or know a midwife who does, please in touch via the link above and email [email protected] 

The Jean Davies Award opens on 1 December 2022 and this award is part funded by the RCM. It has a focus on inequalities on maternal health in the UK.  

Funding in Scotland 

The next round of the NRS Career Researcher Fellowships is now open for applications. The award provides funding for protected time to contribute to, conduct and lead clinical research to strengthen the research culture in the NHS. The award is open to different healthcare professions in developing a research career within their post. This includes qualified doctors, midwives, nurses, AHPs, pharmacists, biomedical/clinical scientists, public health specialists and psychologists. 

Closing date for applications Wednesday 30th November 2022.  

External events and resources 

Public health conferences 

You may be interested in the online public health conference from Ireland/Northern Ireland on Wednesday 30 November. Speakers include Sir Patrick Vallance and it is organised by the Joint North-South Public Health Conference is jointly organised by the Institute of Public Health, Public Health Agency, Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University and University College Cork. Find out more here! 

The Research and Evaluation team at Public Health Wales will be holding their annual conference. This event will be held virtually over Teams on 7 December. To find out more and book your ticket, click here.

Equity tools for researchers 

FOR-EQUITY contains tools and resources to help researchers integrate an equity lens into their research and consider how people with lived experience and policy or practice expertise can help in this process. It contains:   

• a guidance inventory 
• Health Inequalities Assessment Toolkit (HIAT) 
• An equity resources library 

Please take a look and see how the resources on the FOR Equity website can help you integrate an intersectional equity lens into your studies!

An opportunity to assess applications to the NIHR 

The NIHR Academy supports a number of career development awards available at different levels, and accessible by different professional backgrounds. Selection committees for these awards support the development of the scheme, assess applications and make funding recommendations based on quality. The make-up of selection committees is reviewed regularly and adjusted in response to need. If you are interested in joining a selection committee at the NIHR Academy please complete this form. You may be contacted when an opportunity arises. 

New studies on the RCM’s Research Hub 

Follow this link to find details of the latest studies which we are supporting. You may like to participate in some of them too!

Midwives' Experiences Of Caring For Women Who Have Had A Stillbirth Or Neonatal Death In A Previous Pregnancy - Are you a midwife practicing in the UK? 

Researchers at the School of Community Health and Midwifery at the University of Central Lancashire would like to find out about your experience of and views on caring for women who have had a stillbirth or neonatal death in a previous pregnancy. Even if you have not directly cared for a woman undergoing a pregnancy after a stillbirth or neonatal death, we are interested in your views on caring for this group. You are invited to take part because you are a midwife practicing in the UK. 

You can take part by clicking here or by scanning the QR code and completing a simple online questionnaire which takes about 10 minutes to complete. 

Co-producing an intervention toolkit with and for women of Black African and Black Caribbean descent to promote early presentation with breast cancer symptoms  

We are a team of cancer researchers at the University of Surrey, we want to develop an intervention to encourage early presentation with breast cancer symptoms among women of Black Caribbean and Black African descent. This is to address ethnic inequalities in breast cancer outcomes, as Black women tend to be diagnosed late and have higher mortality from breast cancer than White women. We want to co-produce an intervention with women of Black Caribbean/African descent and with midwives that could be delivered in ante-/post-natal settings as a way of reaching as many women as possible. We are looking for midwives working in Trusts in Kent, Surrey, or Sussex, with an interest in health inequalities or breast cancer. Participation in up to 4 online sessions (via Zoom) in Nov-Dec 2022. Participants will be thanked for their contribution with £50 in e-vouchers. . 

The MADAM study  

Most women use medication during pregnancy. Yet, information on medication in pregnancy is largely missing. Project MADAM (Model-Adjusted Doses for All Mothers) is a collaboration between the Radboud and Maastricht University Medical Centres in the Netherlands and the Dutch Teratology Information Service. As part of this project, researchers use new kinds of evidence to issue dose recommendations in pregnancy. This new information will be made available to healthcare practitioners internationally as part of an online pregnancy formulary. Pregnant women will also be able to access information on this website. 

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are undertaking some work around supporting this role!

With best wishes,  

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field   

RCM Research Advisors  

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event.  

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub  

Dear all

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:  

Launch of new RCM Small Research Awards

We are excited to tell you about the new Small Research Awards, which we launched at the RCM Annual Conference on 4 October 2022. The RCM Small Research Awards are a new initiative, available only to RCM members. The aim of the awards is to create an opportunity for RCM members to undertake a research-based activity that could be of benefit to them later in their career – from making connections with midwives who already work in research, by deepening their research knowledge in a particular area of midwifery practice, or by developing a brief research proposal that could then be developed further in the future.

There are three categories: student midwife (any year), early career midwife (within first 3 years of NMC registration) and midwife. Deadline for submission is 22 January 2023 and the winners will each receive a small monetary award, a year's subscription of Midirs Digest and an opportunity to work with the RCM on a briefing paper. See here for more information!

New Doctoral Thesis Collection on the Research Hub

The RCM has developed a Thesis Collection for midwives who have been awarded a PhD. The aim of the collection is to provide a platform for midwives to showcase their academic work, and to inspire and support midwives who are considering or who are currently undertaking further academic study. Additionally, the collection provides a source of open access midwifery generated evidence for everyone to use. If you are a midwife and have a completed a PhD and would like to include your thesis in this collection, please complete the online form, or see the Thesis Collection pod on our Research Hub for more information.

Funding opportunity in Wales

Health and Care Research Wales is pleased to announce two new funding calls which are open for applications. The funding is available under the NHS Research Time Award and the Social Care Research Fellowship Scheme. Please see the link below and consider applying.

New Health and Care Research Wales Research Time Award and Social Care Research Fellowship calls open now | Health Care Research Wales

RCM partnership with the Bangladesh Midwifery Society

The RCM Research Team is pleased to be providing ‘Introduction to research’ sessions as part of our partnership with the Bangladesh Midwifery Society. We are speaking to 16 young midwife leaders over three different sessions about the basics of research and midwifery practice.

External events

JBI Scoping review workshop [University of Nottingham]

Virtual event – 8 and 9 December, 0930-1330

This course will equip participants with the knowledge and tools required to successfully plan for and undertake a scoping review following the JBI methodological approach. It will clarify the distinction between a systematic review and a scoping review. It will help participants to formulate an appropriate scoping review question and to undertake all subsequent stages of a scoping review, including developing a protocol and reporting a scoping review.

The course is designed for clinicians, public health professionals, academics, researchers and students. All training materials will be provided. Certificates will be issued to participants who complete the workshop.

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/cebhc/training-and-cpd/jbi-scoping-review-workshop.aspx

RSM ‘Pregnant women: time to end exclusion of from drug trials’

In person / virtual event on Friday 21 October

Pregnant women are excluded from the benefits of many drugs because they are routinely excluded from drug trials. This exclusion leads to needless suffering and deaths of pregnant women and their babies. The recent COVID pandemic has highlighted the urgent need to address this issue. Participants will learn how pregnant women have been systematically excluded from drug and vaccine trials, for example, the early COVID vaccine trials; understand how this exclusion has disadvantaged and continues to disadvantage pregnant women and their babies; appreciate how this situation can be rectified. Find more information here.

Midwifery research in the news

Disparities in stillbirth and preterm birth persist even after correction for ethnicity and social deprivation, demonstrating that there is wide geographical variation in the quality of care. To address this inequity, Tommy’s National Centre for Maternity Improvement (an alliance of the RCM and RCOG) developed the Tommy’s Clinical Decision Tool, which aims to support the provision of “the right care at the right time,” personalising risk assessment and care according to best evidence. See here for a recent paper.

The 5^th report of the Health and Social Care workforce study has been published - Health and social care workers' quality of working life and coping while working during the COVID-19 pandemic.  16th May - 8th July 2022. The RCM has been supporting recruitment to this study and the report can be viewed here. 

Breastfeeding and medicine use

Optimal child development and maternal health necessitate breastfeeding, yet little information exists to guide families regarding the safety of medicine use during lactation. Breastfeeding initiation or success may be altered by medicine use, and breastfeeding may obscure the true relationship between medicine exposure during pregnancy and developmental outcomes. Absent or poorly standardised recording of breastfeeding in most population databases hampers analysis and understanding of the complex relationships between medicine, pregnancy, breastfeeding and infant and maternal health. The purpose of this paper is to present the arguments for breastfeeding to be included alongside medicine use and neurodevelopmental outcomes in whole-population database investigations of the harms and benefits of medicines during pregnancy, the puerperium and postnatal period. See more here and here.

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are wanting to do some work around supporting this role 

With best wishes, 

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field  

RCM Research Advisors 

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event. 

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub 

Dear all

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:  

RCM Conference 4-5 October 2022

The RCM Conference returns for 2022 across two days in south Wales. After two years of hosting our annual conference virtually, we cannot wait to return to an in-person social event and be able to once again knowledge share and support each other in a physical setting. The conference is free of charge to members, and we hope to see many of you there. The theme is ‘Recover, Reflect, Renew - setting the course for maternity services’, and the Research Team will have a ‘Spotlight’ session during the conference. We will have more details in our next newsletter and look forward to meeting you there. Booking information here RCM Annual Conference

Thesis Collection on the Research Hub

The RCM has developed a Thesis Collection for midwives who have been awarded a PhD. The aim of the collection is to provide a platform for midwives to showcase their academic work, and to inspire and support midwives who are considering or who are currently undertaking further academic study. Additionally, the collection will provide a source of open access midwifery generated evidence for everyone to use.

The opportunity for midwives to include details of the resultant publications and their social media details will also support the creation of professional networks related to their academic interests. If you are a midwife and have a completed a PhD and would like to include your thesis in this collection, please follow this link where you will find an application form Doctoral Thesis Collection (rcm.org.uk). You can also email us at [email protected] if you want to find out more.

Research Leadership opportunity

The NIHR is funding 15 midwives and nurses who are working at band 8 to work 0.4 WTE for three years to embed a research active culture within their organisations and beyond. See here for more information. The deadline for applications is 24 October 2022  Senior Research Leader - Nursing & Midwifery Programme | NIHR

External events

There is a new quarterly forum for psychosocial research into maternal, infant and family health & wellbeing. This event is for anyone who works in a relevant field and is actively involved in research or looking for support to get started with a research project in the near future, is welcome to attend this Perinatal Research Forum.

The focus of the quarterly meetings will be peer support to navigate research processes, and networking to take forward research projects, as well as to hear from our guest speakers who will talk to us about their own work within these areas. The link for more information and booking is here SOUTH EAST PERINATAL RESEARCH FORUM - LAUNCH EVENT Tickets, Tue 20 Sep 2022 at 10:00 | Eventbrite

Research project funding opportunity

COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding organisation for research and innovation networks. The Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and beyond and enable researchers and innovators to grow their ideas in any science and technology field by sharing them with their peers. COST Actions are bottom-up networks with a duration of four years that boost research, innovation and careers.  The call for applications is now open with a deadline of 20 October 2022 COST | European Cooperation in Science and Technology. One project already funded which will be of interest to midwives is the Peripartum Depression Disorder (Riseup-PPD) - see here for information Action CA18138 - COST

Midwifery research in the news

The Nursing and Midwifery Council has published their report into diversity Ambitious for change: research into NMC processes and people’s diversity characteristics - The Nursing and Midwifery Council

The WRISK project: Understanding and improving the way risk in pregnancy is communicated to women - SSA (addiction-ssa.org) was a collaboration between the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and academics from Cardiff University, that ran between November 2018 and June 2021. It explored women’s experiences of risk messaging in pregnancy and develop recommendations to align public health messages with women’s needs and lived experiences. A paper with findings from the project has been published in Midwifery. WRISK voices: A mixed-methods study of women's experiences of pregnancy-related public health advice and risk messages in the UK - ScienceDirect

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are undertaking some work around supporting this role 

With best wishes, 

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field  

RCM Research Advisors 

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event. 

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub 

Dear all

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:  

RCM Conference 4-5 October 2022

The RCM Conference returns for 2022 across two days in south Wales. After two years of hosting our annual conference virtually, we cannot wait to return to an in-person social event and be able to once again knowledge share and support each other in a physical setting. The conference is free of charge to members, and we hope to see many of your there. The theme is ‘Recover, Reflect, Renew - setting the course for maternity services’, and the Research Team will have a ‘Spotlight’ session during the conference. We will have more details in our next newsletter and look forward to meeting you there. Booking information here RCM Annual Conference

Thesis Collection on the Research Hub

The RCM is developing a Thesis Collection for midwives who have been awarded a PhD.  The aim of the collection is to provide a platform for midwives to showcase their academic work, and to inspire and support midwives who are considering or who are currently undertaking further academic study. Additionally, the collection will provide a source of open access midwifery generated evidence for everyone to use.

The opportunity for midwives to include details of the resultant publications and their social media details will hopefully also support the creation of professional networks related to their academic interests.  If you are a midwife and have a completed a PhD and would like to include your thesis in this collection, please email us at [email protected]. We will disseminate the link to the Collection once we have published the first theses.

Research Awards

NIHR Emerging Research Leaders

The Emerging Research Leaders stream of the Future-Focused Leadership Programme, which supports early to mid-career researchers on an academic track undertaking their first significant leadership and management role, is now open to applications. The 12-month programme incorporates a range of development opportunities including hybrid residential workshops, 360 feedback, action learning sets/peer support, and individual coaching. 

To be eligible for the Emerging Research Leaders stream, applicants must be:

• an early to mid-career researcher
• two years post-doctoral
• an NIHR Academy Member (in receipt of an award ending no earlier than September 2023)

You can find out more information, including guidance on how to apply and FAQs, on the NIHR website.

Health and Care Research Wales Awards 2022

Nominations are open for the Health and Care Research Wales Awards 2022, which will celebrate the achievements of the research community in Wales over the past 12 months. There are three award categories, with a deadline 21 September. Please consider putting yourself or your colleagues forward. Further information here - Nominations open for prestigious Welsh research prize awards | Health Care Research Wales (healthandcareresearchwales.org)

External events

Launch of the Perinatal Loss Proficiency Framework; a basis for all healthcare training in perinatal loss.

An event is being organised by midwife Julie Jones, on 9 August. This will be a hybrid event and include external speakers:

• Donna Ockenden on the Ockenden report and links to the need for good care ion perinatal loss.
• Marc Harder from SANDS on the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP); not only for implementation in Trusts but a valuable teaching and learning resource.
• Rosie Morgan: UWL student midwife and bereaved parent will share her story and link to the PLPF why this is an essential element of student midwife training.
• This is free to attend and will take place at Weston Hall, UWL SMR campus on the 9th August from 9am-1pm with a coffee break.

The link for registering for Julie’s event is here: Perinatal Loss Masterclass (Hybrid event) Tickets, Tue 9 Aug 2022 at 09:00 | Eventbrite

Becoming Research Active

ARC North Thames are running a workshop series on ‘Becoming Research Active’ which is open to anyone to attend.  Please could you circulate the link below to any of your contacts this may interest.  The link includes details and a registration form.   Closing date to register is midnight 7 August. https://www.arc-nt.nihr.ac.uk/learn-with-us/becoming-research-active-online// . To note the course is ideal for nurses, allied health professionals, public health or local government staff from NHS Trusts, NHS CCGs and Local authorities. This course is not aimed at academics and/or researchers.

Implementation Research and Practice

Four online workshops organised by all 15 NIHR ARCs to discuss some of the key issues in implementation research and practice. Begins 19 September 2022. Here is the link NIHR Applied Research Collaborations – implementation workshop series | ARC South London -

Training

Creating and presenting posters

Afree elearning course, lasting one hour - Creating and presenting posters | Health Care Research Wales (healthandcareresearchwales.org)

Principal Investigator basics

A free elearning course, lasting one hour - Principal Investigator basics | Health Care Research Wales (healthandcareresearchwales.org)

Dear all

Here is a selection of midwifery research related news and information:

Re:Birth Project

The RCM funded Re:Birth project sought to find a shared language that could be used by clinicians and service users alike. The project heard from a total of 7,822 people between the Listening Groups (n=110); the Voices Survey (n=764) and the final survey (n=6,948).  The final report has now been published and identifies vocabulary preferences for health professionals and researchers to use when describing type of labour and birth in notes, professional conversations, reports and audit. Access the summary report here to find out more.

Professors’ article

‘Midwifery’ has published the editorial ‘Responding to the Ockenden Review: Safe care for all needs evidence-based system change - and strengthened midwifery’ written by some of our UK midwifery professors and others working in maternity research. The authors make a compelling case for investment in midwives and the role of the midwife.

“High quality evidence is essential to ensure effective and cost-effective care and to avoid mistakes and unintended consequences, and it is imperative that research evidence and ongoing evaluation are incorporated into all recommended actions and programmes of improvement.” (Renfrew et al 2022)

A reminder for RCM members, you can access the CINAHL plus database as one of your membership benefits. This enables you to read articles, such as the one above, in the international journal Midwifery. You need to log in to the RCM website, and then go to the RCM Library and information services page. This will then give you the log in details under the heading ‘Subscription Database.’

Funding opportunities open/opening soon

HSC R&D Division Doctoral Fellowship Award The remit for applications includes all areas of health and social care. Doctoral Fellowship Awards are available for a maximum of 3 years full-time or 6 years part-time. An award will provide support for the applicant’s salary costs, tuition fees, research expenses and conference travel.

External events

NIHR Research Fellowships

• Are you a midwife interested in clinical research?
• Would you like to know more about National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) research fellowships?

If the answers to the above questions are yes, then register for the online series of masterclasses in September and October 2022.

Podcast about postpartum psychosis and research. [4^th in the list] 20% of women with bipolar disorder are likely to experience postpartum psychosis, compared to just 0.1% of women in the general population. Health and Care Research Wales Senior Research Leader Professor Ian Jones explains how women’s health, and particularly mental health, is under-researched. He expresses the importance of research to understand the factors that contribute to women’s increased risk of developing postpartum psychosis which will help develop thorough prevention tactics and better treatment. Ian also gives his insight into the question: Where would we be without research?

Think Ethics – have your say on ethics review for health and social care research You can take part in an online survey to have your say on how ethical review can be made more streamlined and proportionate.

Current studies

Li Li is a Chinese-English interpreter, translator, and doctoral student at the University of East Anglia. Her collaborative doctoral research project entitled: Language Quality in Maternity focuses on language barriers in maternity settings. It examines the effective use of video-mediated interpreting services to care for pregnant women/birthing people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities in the UK.

Li Li is looking for volunteers who need interpreting/language support services to provide maternity care in the UK – this includes midwives and other maternity staff. By participating in this study, you will help to increase understanding of how video-mediated interpreting affects communication effectiveness in maternity settings.

To learn more or participate in this research, please email [email protected]

For more details, as well as the lists of the other studies currently being supported by the RCM Current studies (rcm.org.uk).

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are wanting to do some work around supporting this role

With best wishes,

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field

RCM Research Advisors

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event.

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub

Dear all

This year’s Iolanthe Midwifery Trust Jean Davies Award winner has been announced, and we would like to send our congratulations to winner Meghan Luton. Megan is a midwifery lecturer at Middlesex University, and she will be using her award to research the experience of deaf BSL-using women in maternity care. If you are considering applying for this award and would like to access some peer-peer support, you may like to access the RCM Research Award Buddy Scheme. We now have several buddy-applicants dyads matched within the scheme, during this pilot year of the scheme.

Funding opportunities open/opening soon

NHS Scotland Chief Scientist Office:

https://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/personal-awards-initiative/clinical-academic-fellowships/ The aim of this scheme is to build research capacity in the Scottish NHS, and as such it provides the opportunity for clinical professionals early in their career to undertake a PhD. You can contact Julie Simpson if you have any questions about this scheme  [email protected]

Department of Health and Social Care:

Applications are open for funding grants of between £200,000 and £600,000 for the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector who specialise in women’s wellbeing services. Applications close on Friday 5 August 2022.

Grant fund launched to support women's reproductive wellbeing in the workplace - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

External events

Improving Healthcare Through Clinical Research - FutureLearn On this 4 week online module, in conjunction with the NIHR and Leeds University, you will learn about the clinical research, in particular how medical treatments are discovered, tested and evaluated to improve healthcare for all. The next facilitated run starts on Monday 13 June.

Cochrane UK and Cochrane Ireland are hosting a free online workshop for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals based in the UK and Ireland on Tuesday 14 June Workshop for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals on Cochrane systematic reviews and evidence-based practice | Cochrane UK

The Humanising Birth Summer School 11-15 July 2022 is an on-line event, organised by the Critical Midwifery Studies Collective, and co-hosted by the Chilean Observatory for Obstetric Violence, the University of Cape Town, Department of Midwifery Science Amsterdam VUmc & AVAG, and includes a webinar by City University London. Abstracts are invited with a deadline of 8 June Critical Midwifery Studies (wordpress.com)

A colloquium asking questions about good practice in facilitating informed consent is being held on Friday 7 October. The colloquium is being held as part of a Royal Society of Edinburgh funded research project ‘Translating informed consent in Scottish maternity services’ https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/translating-informed-consent/colloquium/ The call for abstracts ends on 30 June, and event registration closes on 6 October.

The 33rd ICM Triennial Congress Midwives 2023 will be an in-person event, 11-14 June 2023 in Bali. The deadline for abstracts for this international conference is 30 June 2023.

Current studies

Midwives’ perspectives on the practice of intrapartum midwife-led care within the hospital setting

Midwife Rachel Housego is an MPH (Master of Public Health Student) student at Kings College London. This piece of research focuses on understanding midwives’ perspectives on the practice of midwifery-led care in the intrapartum period. If you are currently working, or have recently worked, on a midwifery-led birth centre or obstetric-led delivery unit, please contact Rachel for further information regarding the study at: [email protected]

Health and Social Care Workforce Well-being and Coping During COVID-19

Dr. Patricia Gillen and Dr. Paula McFadden are researching the professional quality of working life, social and emotional wellbeing, and ways of coping amongst social worker and social care workers, nurses and midwives and AHPs during the Covid-19 pandemic. All midwives working within any area of practice in the UK are invited to complete the 5^th project survey. The survey closes on 8 July 2022. For further information please contact Patrician Gillen [email protected]  You can access reports from the ongoing Health and Social Care Workforce Well-being and Coping During COVID-19 here.

Health inequalities in neonatal health and care provision

Hora Soltani, is a Professor in Maternal and Infant Health within Health and Social Care Research at Sheffield Hallam University. She is currently leading a research project on ethnic inequalities in neonatal health and care provision with an interdisciplinary team of research and health professionals. The project is designed to explore experiences of key stakeholders (healthcare professionals and service users from Black and Asian background) in relation to neonatal testing and practice including but not limited to Apgar scores and jaundice. You can get involved in two ways:

• If you are aware of any relevant policy or article in line with this study objectives
• To take part in a qualitative interview

Please do spread the word about this project and if you have a story to share or you know of any potential participants or simply want more information, please contact via [email protected]

And finally.... if you have a clinical academic post, please get in touch with us as we are wanting to do some work around supporting this role

With best wishes,

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field

RCM Research Advisors

 We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event.

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub

Dear all

The RCM Research Award Buddy Scheme

If you are considering applying for The Wellbeing of Women Entry-level Research Scholarships the call is now out for applications and the application deadline is the 30 June 2022. If you are a midwife and a full RCM member the new RCM Research Awards Buddy Scheme [RABS] is here, and we have buddies waiting to support you on your application journey. Please disseminate this information to your colleagues and networks and contact us at [email protected] to find out more or to register your interest.

NIHR Associate PI scheme

We are really pleased to inform you of an exciting development opportunity available to midwives wishing to gain hands-on experience of research.  The Associate PI Scheme is a six month in-work training opportunity, providing practical experience for healthcare professionals starting their research career. Working in collaboration with the NIHR Associate Principal Investigator scheme the Royal College of Midwives endorses and actively promotes participation amongst its members.  Participating midwives receive formal recognition of engagement in NIHR Portfolio research studies through the certification of Associate PI status, endorsed by the NIHR and the Royal College of Midwives. To find out more about the Associate PI scheme, the benefits, and how to apply, visit the Associate PI Scheme webpage. If you have any questions, please contact the Associate PI Scheme Central Team at [email protected].

Professors in midwifery

An up-to-date list of the UK based Professors in midwifery is included on the RCM Research Hub. If you know of another Professor [they do not need to be a midwife] please get in touch with us.

Become a member of the NICE obstetric suite guideline committee: NICE is looking for a community midwife to join the obstetric suite guideline committee, for the update of the guideline on intrapartum care for healthy women and babies. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Thursday 12 May 2022.

Current studies on the RCM Research Hub – please share widely within your networks

Ruby Grater, an Applied Sport & Exercise Science MSc Student at Staffordshire University, is exploring to what extent the physical factors that enable or stop a mother from returning to physical activity, postpartum. We would like to find out how best healthcare professionals can support women in their return to exercise based on the physical factors that affect them. Please share with women aged 18+ and who have given birth within the last 24 months are invited to take part in an online survey.

Vimbai Mamombe is a doctoral student at the University of Leicester. Her research focuses on the role of health care professionals that offer breastfeeding support to mothers of late preterm infants in the UK postnatal setting. If you are currently working in a postnatal setting in the UK and you offer breastfeeding support to mothers of late preterm infants, you are invited to complete this online survey.

Conferences

Virtual International Day of the Midwife conference. This is a 24-hour free online conference centred on 5th May for midwives and anyone interested in childbirth

Home (nlnb22.com) The 21^st International Normal Labour and Birth Research Conference is in Aarhus, Denmark, 12-14 September 2022. Abstract submission deadline 25 May 2022.

Maternal Health Research Conference  Edge Hill University, 24th May 2022, 9:30am - 3:30pm. This is a free hybrid conference – face to face and online registration is available. Face to face places are capped at 100, and there is no cap for online.

With best wishes,

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field

RCM Research Advisors

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event.

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub

Dear all,

The Jean Davies Iolanthe Midwifery Trust Award is being announced later this month. We very much look forward to hearing who the winner is, and the focus of their work. Well done to everyone who applied. If you are considering applying when applications re-open at the end of the year, you may want to join the new RCM Research Awards Buddy Scheme The scheme has been created to encourage and support more midwives to apply for the Wellbeing of Women Entry Level Scholarship (WoW) and the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust Jean Davies awards. The RCM part funds both awards each year. Applicants to both awards must be midwives and full members of the RCM. The buddies for this scheme are all previous successful applicants and are volunteering their time to offer their support as buddies.

Health and Care Research Wales has announced its next cohort of Senior Research Leaders and Specialty Leads from across academia and the NHS in Wales, to act as ambassadors for research into diseases, treatments and services that can change people’s lives and drive improvements in care. Congratulations to Professor Julia Sanders on being appointed Speciality Led Reproductive Health. Julia has had an extensive career across a combination of clinical, teaching and research posts. Julia’s current position is Professor of Clinical Nursing & Midwifery, a joint post between Cardiff University and Cardiff & Vale University Health Board, with a specific remit to support, develop and lead on nursing and midwifery led studies

New studies on the RCM Research Hub – please share widely within your networks:

Evaluating the maternity teamwork experience of obstetrician and midwives. Dr Bismeen Jadoon is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. She is currently completing a Masters degree in International Health & Clinical Leadership from the University of Sheffield

Experiences of pregnancy, birth and the post-natal period during the pandemic Researchers from the University of Sheffield and University of Warwick, in collaboration with the NCT, are inviting first-time parents to share their anonymous experiences of pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.

Funding and PG study opportunities:

The NIHR Fellowship Programme will open this month for the NIHR Doctoral Fellowship and the NIHR Advanced Fellowship awards. The NIHR Doctoral Fellowship is a three year full-time award that supports individuals to undertake a PhD in an area of NIHR research, although may also be taken up on a part-time basis of between 50% and 100% whole time equivalent.  The Advanced Fellowship is for those at a post-doctoral level and can be utilised at several specific points of a researcher’s career development. The fellowship is between 2 and 5 years and can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis. Both Fellowship awards have the option for including time in clinical practice.

The latest funding window from the Nightingale Fund closes on 15 May.  The Fund supports post registration education and professional development through diploma and post-graduate degrees, including PhDs, specific modules and short courses, defined as five days or greater. Guidance on applications can be found on the Fund website

Training and learning opportunities:

Offering Financial Incentives to Participants in Health and Breastfeeding Research [13 April, 14.00] This free online event is organised by the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine (University of Zurich), The Swiss Medical Weekly, The Global Health Network (University of Oxford) and LactaHub. Follow this link for more information

An Introduction to Design and Analysis of Clinical Trials: Statistics for Non-Statisticians | UCL Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology - UCL – University College London [23-26 May] This four-day online course will introduce the principles and application of statistics in the randomised controlled trial (RCT) environment. The intended audience is non-statisticians working in clinical trials who only have a basic level of statistical knowledge at present.  Follow this link for more information and costs

Maternal health research conference This is a free hybrid event being held at Edge Hill University on the 24 May. Follow this link for more information

With best wishes,

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field

RCM Research Advisors

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research, or organising research related events – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research or event.

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub

The RCM Education and Research Conference was held 23rd-24th March 2022. 

Download the conference supplement here.

Dear all

We are both very much looking forward to the RCM Education and Research Conference later this week. If you are able to attend the conference we will be there, along with colleagues from the RCM Education, Research and MIDIRS teams. Please do come and introduce yourself to us.

We are really pleased to let you know that the new RCM Research Awards Buddy Scheme will be officially launched at the conference. The scheme will provide support to RCM members applying for either the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust Jean Davies award or the Wellbeing of Women Entry Level Scholarship [ELS]. Both awards are supported by the RCM. Previous winners of both awards are kindly volunteering their time to be buddies on the scheme. If you are a previous award winner and would like to offer your support for this scheme, or if you have any questions about offering support, please contact us via [email protected] The scheme will be open for award applicants after the conference. It is anticipated that the Wellbeing of Women ELS will open for applications in April 2022, with the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust Jean Davies opening later in the year.

Our Research Hub is being updated to gather together all of our resources and make the experience of searching for research related information much easier. Please take a look, and we would be interested to receive your feedback. This month we have 4 new research studies in the Current maternity research studies pod on the Hub. These include the RAPP (Responses to Alcohol and Pregnancy Policy) study, the ARM@DA (A Realist Inquiry into Maternity Care @ A Distance) study, the EMPOWER project and a study exploring how maternity study use visual management tools for escalation of care in maternity services. All of these studies offer opportunities for midwife involvement.

External events

There are some other exciting online and face to face conference opportunities taking place:

The Virtual IDM conference, with the theme ‘Midwives: Together We Care’, is a 24-hour free online conference centred on 5th May 2022 for midwives and anyone interested in childbirth. While the call for presentations has closed it is still possible to submit a poster for this conference [deadline 1 April]. There look to be some fantastic keynote and invited speakers.

The Normal Labour and Birth Research conference is being held in Denmark between September 12 and 14 2022. Registration and the call for abstracts will open soon.

 The 33^rd ICM Triennial Congress, with the theme ‘Together again, from evidence to reality’ is taking place in Bali between 11-14 June 2023. Conference registration and the call for abstracts are open. There looks to be a wide range of opportunities to share your knowledge and skills.

The RCM ilearn module ‘Spreading the word, getting your abstract accepted’ is a short module designed to help midwives, support workers and student midwives develop their skills in writing papers and creating posters for presentation at events or for journals. It will provide hints and tips to get your abstract or paper accepted.

Funding

You may be interested in taking a look at MatCHNet. Funded by the UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP), MatCHNet is a newly established UK-wide network that is developing a multidisciplinary, community of public health researchers, methodologists, policy makers and service providers. This community will come together to prioritise upstream policy interventions that can be evaluated using administrative data. Current academic disciplines involved in MatCHNet include epidemiology, child health, health informatics, population health statistics, public health science, health economics, and social science disciplines. Funding call Pump Priming Funding – MatCHNet (gla.ac.uk)

With best wishes,

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field

RCM Research Advisors

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research.

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub

The RCM Education and Research conference is taking place in Coventry on the 23 and 24 March. This event is free for RCM members. You can view the conference programme and register for your place here. If you are able to attend the conference we will be there, along with colleagues from the RCM Education, Research and MIDIRS teams and look forward to meeting you. Please do come and introduce yourself to us.

Earlier this month Jude gave a brief update on the work that we are doing to develop the RCM research resources to the joint RCM / Welsh Government Think Tank.  We are committed to ensuring the RCM’s research activities reach all four countries and look forward to getting (virtually) around the UK. The research section of the RCM Career Framework is currently being updated and will include case studies of midwives from across all 4 countries of the UK talking about their research journeys. If you are currently completing a research degree or work within research in any capacity, please consider writing a case study for our Framework. You can get in touch using our email below.

At the conference in March, we will be launching a new buddy scheme for midwives applying for the RCM supported Jean Davies Iolanthe Trust and the Wellbeing of Women awards. Previous winners of these awards have kindly offered to provide some guidance on how to submit a strong application to prospective applicants. If you are previous award winner and may be interested in being part of this scheme, please contact us to discuss this with us.

External events and opportunities

The NIHR ICA Programme Pre-doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship opened for applications in January and will close on the 18 of March.  This is a great opportunity for England based midwives to have salaried time to develop a doctoral fellowship application and undertake funded academic training. The aim of the award is to equip early career researchers with the skills and experience to access doctoral level funding.

Midwife Jo Cull is a previous PCAF award winner and is now studying on a NIHR funded doctoral fellowship. Jo has kindly offered to be contact point for any midwives who are interested in applying for this award. You can contact Jo via email at [email protected].

The Virtual International Day of the Midwife conference celebrates the International Day of the Midwife in this online conference - bringing all parties interested in childbirth from across the globe together. The deadline for presentation submissions has now passed, but you can still submit a poster for the conference. The conference starts at 22.00 UTC on the 5^th of May.

With best wishes,

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field

RCM Research Advisors

Happy New Year to everyone. This month we would like to highlight our Education and Research conference in March, as well as share the exciting research related opportunities that 2022 is already bringing.

In case you are yet to see the programme for our Education and Research conference, we have an excellent range of speakers, including Professor Hora Soltani, and Professor Jane Sandall. We will also be providing an update on the implementation of the RCM Research and Development Strategy, including details about our new support scheme for RCM research-supported awards.

There is also space at the conference for midwives to share their work – please submit your abstract by the Friday 21^st January 2022 in order to grasp this opportunity. By submitting an abstract you will be able to disseminate and profile your work - and yourself as a researcher. It will also support you to promote the translation of research into practice, enable you to receive feedback and critique from your peers, as well as offering networking with others who are interested in the same topic area. For those of you new to abstracts, there is an i-learn module on how to write a good abstract, which members can access here Course: Spreading the word: getting your abstract accepted (rcm.org.uk)

We are offering three options for those who wish to submit an abstract – an oral presentation, a poster and (new for this year) a pre-recorded elevator pitch. You can opt for any or all of these options when you submit. Please don’t be shy and come along to showcase your work.

You can submit an abstract, view the complete programme and book your place at this free* conference here.

External events and opportunities

Throughout February the Council of Deans for Health are holding an online Research Month – places are free for staff at universities who are Council members. With talks on building research capacity, navigating career pathways, leadership and innovative roles in research, these events look really useful for midwives either already working in research roles, or who want to move into this area of practice. 

Several funding opportunities are available - the RCM supported Iolanthe Midwifery Trust Jean Davies award, and other Iolanthe Midwifery Awards, all close for applications on 1 February. There are also some country specific funding opportunities available - in Scotland the Chief Scientist Office Early Postdoctoral Fellowship – Chief Scientist Office (scot.nhs.uk), and England the NIHR Pre-doctoral Clinical Academic Fellowship scheme. We will highlight funding opportunities specific to Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as more opportunities in Scotland and England as they arise throughout the year.

With best wishes,

Jenny Cunningham & Jude Field [RCM Research Advisors]

We are always keen to hear about midwives who are taking part in, or conducting research – please get in touch with us at [email protected] if you feel that the RCM can support you in promoting or disseminating your research.

Please click on this link to access the RCM Research Hub

*Free for RCM members