This is the event report of Transforming perceptions of midwifery launch. Read the report to to see what happened on the day!

1. Report of the launch event
23rd January 2019
Birmingham
#FutureMidwifery #BetterBirths #teamCNO
Transforming
Perceptions of
Midwifery

2. The purpose of this report
What we are trying to achieve:
• Collecting inputs and outputs from the day
• Making a record of what happened on the day
and the energy in the room
• Documenting the wealth of information and
experience that the attendees bring
We are not trying to do:
• Making verbatim notes
• Analysing or prioritising ideas
• Developing a decision document or
action plan
Report compiled by Leigh Kendall, NHS Horizons

3. Today is an opportunity to develop
work to transform the perceptions of
midwifery.
We need to ignite the passion in our
workforce. We need to remember
what was it that made you want to be
a midwife?
Let's have positive stories in the
media. We also need to think about
how we influence the policymakers -
do they always have a midwife at the
table?
Let's be on the front foot, be included
from the beginning. This will help lead
to better outcomes for women and
families.
People travelled to Birmingham
from as far afield as Cornwall and
Scotland to attend the launch
despite the snowy weather.
Welcome by Paul Vaughan

4. Chief Nursing Officer Ruth May couldn’t attend in person, so she made a video.
Ruth said how important the work is, and about the impact her midwife had when
her daughter was born

5. People watched livestream
The event was livestreamed to the
Practising Midwife Journal Facebook
page:
https://www.facebook.com/thepractisi
ngmidwife/videos/811204932554423/)
and had the following impact:
 Reach: 5, 257
 Views 3K
 Engagement - 1,397
 Comments – 111
 Shares - 23

6. In the room are people who
aren't midwives - these are
critical friends, and who are
there to help you –
embrace them!
Helen Bevan set the context for the day
This is not your usual conference
or workshop, it is a specially
designed process which enables a
depth and quality of output that
would usually be unachievable in
such a short timeframe...we’ll do
three months’ worth of work today.

7. • Have faith in the process
• Take collective responsibility for
completing the task on time
• Be fully present for yourself and
for others
• Collaborate, support and
constructively challenge others
• Put yourself in other people’s
shoes
• Bring and voice your own
perspective – that is why you are
here!
Ethos for the day:
Everyone agreed to these
ground rules:
1. We are all equal (no
hierarchy)
2. Everyone participates and
listens, equally
3. What is said here stays here
4. No idea is stupid
5. No topics are off the table

12. We need people to feel
proud of the profession of
midwifery.
We need to influence the
media.
We need to influence
young people through
schools. Make midwifery a
career of choice for young
people.
Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE

13. We have to acknowledge
that there are
improvements to be made,
around perinatal mortality -
these sad events affect the
perceptions of the
profession.

14. The public sees a whole range of
perceptions of midwifery in the
media. The public has been
educated about the role of midwifery
through many different sources.
Midwives need to get ahead of the
curve to educate the public, not be
led by the media
We need people to feel proud of the
profession of midwifery. We need to
influence the media. We need to
influence young people through
schools. Make midwifery a career of
choice for young people.
We need to support midwives
staying in the profession - there's no
point in encouraging people to join
the profession if they don't then stay.

15. Midwives are
the golden thread!
They need to be
valued and
respected.
Perceptions of
midwifery aren't
always positive, we
want the public to
know that we're
always learning.
We want to take the
voice of midwifery
forward.

16. Q1: When you've got multiple elements -
maternity systems - within an area how do
you work together?
Q2: Do words matter?
Q3: There's a lot of discouragement for
students entering the profession - how can
we remove the barriers?
Q4: How does NHS England influence
bursaries?
Q5: How can #capitalmidwives roll out
nationally?
Q6: How does the regulator influence
perceptions?
Q7: How does local action link with national
action? (links with Q5)
Q8: How can we ensure we don't lose the
knowledge and experience of retiring
midwives? Q9: How can we improve morale
to improve retention?
Q10: How can we empower midwives to
give them the courage/sense of self to see
that 'the cage' is open?
Q11: How can we get into untapped
workforce such as BME and men - and how
do we address the culture we're bringing
them into such as sexism, racism, bullying?
Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent responded to questions around
culture. “Today is a start of changing culture. Cultural
change is challenging.” She encouraged people to become
an ambassador - be part of the ripple effect.
Jacqueline also addressed the question of race: she
said we need to look at who is released to attend
events like these, how we are leading by example
Yvonne said she will use the Royal College of Nursing
midwifery panel to help ensure we don't work in silos.
Jess Read said the government needs to be lobbied
about bursaries. She also said Capital Midwife was
never intended to focus only on London - they've been
in conversation with national ESR team about skills
passport for all midwives - they aren't keeping the work
to themselves. They are also looking at how culture
affects the profession in the capital - they're going to
share the findings widely.
Questions from the floor Responses from the panel

17. The activity:
On your own, look through the
magazines and find two pictures that
symbolise for you:
•How the midwifery profession
is now (sometimes/always)
•How things could be different
in the future

18. Share your pictures with others on the table
Collectively, as a table group, create a
“collage” of now/future.

19. The finished results!

20. The finished results!

21. The finished results!

22. How midwives feel now
How midwives would
like to feel in the future

24. Identify a change that could be made
within your topic that would make a big
difference in perceptions of midwifery
across the whole country.
Make a film lasting no more than 90
seconds of your big idea
The task:
Make sure your
films are:

25. Learning film-making skills using a smartphone

26. Creating a storyboard

27. Making the films

28. 3. Being kind to each other –
our behaviours and values
7. The socially-
constructed role of the
midwife on television
and in wider media.
6. Embracing diversity5. The midwife’s life
beyond bereavement
4. Joy at work for midwives
8. Modernising the
career pathway of
midwives
1. Workplace
culture
2. Midwives being
respected and
valued by others
9. Students and the
future
10. Authentic positive
feedback and
celebrating the
strengths of midwives
THIS PAGE NEEDS TO BE CHECKED
Watch the videos here: https://bit.ly/2B2EnIA

29. The panel’s choice: Being Kind to One Another
The people’s choice winners!
Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief
Executive of the Nursing
and Midwifery Council
announced the panel’s
choice.

30. Become a Transforming Perceptions of Midwifery Ambassador!
Joanne Mohammed, Nursing Now England
Ambassador says being an ambassador has enabled
her to share pride in her profession with her nursing
colleagues. She’s started a blog as a result of being an
ambassador. She’s also going to visit schools next
week to encourage more young people to join the
profession.
Sign up as a Transforming Perceptions
of Midwifery Ambassador:
http://horizonsnhs.com/futuremidwifery/

31. Midwives need to get better at
articulating their skills to improve
perceptions in the media.
We also need to speak in a way that
policymakers understand so that we
can influence outcomes.
We need to have conversations
between midwives and nurses -
there’s an interdependence - we’re
all part of #teamCNO
We need to value one another -
small acts of kindness make a huge
difference!
Paul Vaughan

32. Our Commitments
These are the commitments made by
attendees of the Transforming Perceptions
of Midwifery event held in Birmingham on
23rd January 2019