Conference Aims for Born Again Midwives

Edge Hill University is to stage a groundbreaking conference to empower midwives working in the most challenging conditions.

The conference entitled, "So you think you give woman centred care", on Friday 29 June, aims to tackle low morale in the profession by encouraging midwives to change the way they think and work.

Jane Morgan, Head of Midwifery Education and Women's Health said:

"Maternity services are at crisis point in many areas of the country and midwives are growing more and more disillusioned with their work.

"The stark reality of midwifery was laid bare in a recent BBC Panorama documentary which showed hospital services reaching breaking point and staff morale at rock bottom.

"However, through this conference we want to inspire midwives to cope with the situation by thinking and acting more creatively.

"We will look at practical ways to deal with challenging circumstances by, for example, changing the way they communicate with each other and with women, how they can break down traditional hierarchies in the labour ward between midwives, doctors and student midwives and how they can think laterally to solve problems."

The conference, which will be opened by Edge Hill's Vice Chancellor John Cater, is aimed at midwives, student midwives, prospective students, health managers, educators, sociologists and researchers.

An impressive line-up of speakers includes internationally renowned women and childbirth expert Sheila Kitzinger who will offer an international view on changes in midwifery.

Jane Morgan will highlight her project work to midwifery in Rwanda while two Edge Hill student midwives will report back their findings from a recent study of midwifery in Ontario, Canada.

The provision of midwifery services to vulnerable groups, the expanding role of independent midwives, empowering junior midwives and the implications of implementing the NHS Framework will also come under the spotlight.

To capture some of the harsh realities of working life in some labour wards, a specially-commissioned drama will be performed. The ten-minute play, devised by leading scriptwriter Rob Johnston, will focus on the challenge of childbirth from the perspective of both a midwife and a pregnant woman.

Jane Morgan, whose department currently runs a pre-registration Diploma, a BSc and a Masters in Midwifery, added:

"Wherever you are as a midwife, you can make a big difference. You can still effect change regardless of the environment you are working in. We want to inspire the new generation of midwives - which includes our own students - and at the same time remind those with a lifetime of experience exactly why they entered the profession in the first place.

"Midwifery is a vocation, unlike any other occupation. One of my colleagues jokes about her busiest time when she delivered a dozen babies in one night. How many other jobs would provide you with 12 magical moments in a single shift?"

The conference will be held at Edge Hill University's main campus in Ormskirk on 29 June. For further details contact Carol Wright, Faculty of Health, tel: 0151 529 3113, e-mail: midcon07@edgehill.ac.uk.