UCC Nursing & Midwifery Scholarly Impact Report 2022

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CATHERINE MCAULEY SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY, UCC

TRANSLATING EVIDENCE & INNOVATION FOR HEALTH

Collaboration and Co-Creation influencing Midwifery going forward on the Island of Ireland The all-Ireland Midwifery Network was set up in 2021 by co-chairs Professor Patricia Leahy-Warren, SoN&M, UCC and Dr Maria Healy, SoN&M, QUB. The purpose of the Network is to bridge midwifery care communities, by developing a Community of Practice via proactiveconnectivity throughco-productionprocesses. Aunique opportunity for midwives to lead and inform their own network. We want to create a Community of Midwifery Practice across the island of Ireland and enhance their confidence in their ability to implement and translate research evidence into practice. The aim of the Network is to promote & enable evidence-based midwifery care. There are three pillars which form the foundation of the network: Collaboration, Community and Evidence-based. We support an interdisciplinary approach to include: Midwives; Student Midwives; Maternity Care User Representatives and Obstetricians and NCHD. In our first year being established 2021- 2022, we have convened three online seminars that have been attended by some of our 186 members as outlined below. Lead and Team Members: Co-founders and co-chairs: Professor Patricia Leahy-Warren, UCC and Dr Maria Health, QUB.

References: • Leahy-Warren, P., Healy, M(2022)All-IrelandMidwiferyNetwork, presented at the IMO/RCMAnnual Conference on 17 th November 2023 at the Slieve Russell Hotel, Co. Cavan, Ireland. • Leahy-Warren, P. (2022) Midwifery, Sustainability and Breastfeeding at the NMBI ‘Focus on Midwifery Conference’ at MTU Tralee on 3 rd Nov 2022 • Leahy-Warren, P., Healy, M(2022)All-IrelandMidwiferyNetwork, presented at the All-Ireland Maternity & Midwifery Festival on March 3 rd 2022 at The Helix, DCU, Dublin

Highlights: • This all-Ireland Network provides a forum for midwives and maternity care providers to collaborate on clinical practice global issues. • The three seminars presented by the Network were attended by large numbers of our 286 members, predominantly midwives to support translation of evidence into practice.

Picture 1: Dr Lucia Rocca-Ihenacho, Midwifery Lecturer, City University, London, presented ‘The importance of developing an All-Ireland Midwifery Network/Community of Practice’ on 3 rd Feb 2022 online. Picture 2: Dr Elizabeth Newham, Senior Midwifery Lecturer, University of Newcastle, Australia, presented ‘Evidence based practice to support physiological labour and birth’ on 13th April 2022 online. Picture 3: Ms Katherine Robinson, Midwife Manager MLU, Ulster Hospital, Northern ireland and Ms Paula Barry, Practice Development co-ordinator, Coombe University Maternity hospital presented ‘The evidence and practice of facilitating water birth’ on 13th Oct 2022 online.

Link: Home - All Ireland Midwifery Network