A new maternity research initiative is set to launch next week with an online event that clinicians hope will kickstart the development of a network of different voices that will subsequently inform and advise the progression of the project.
The CHERISH programme is the brainchild of maternity staff, service-users, and other members of the public and has ultimately been created to improve the health outcomes of women who wish to undergo a spontaneous labour and birth.
The project is a cross-academia collaboration between the City University of London, the University of Nottingham, and the University of Central Lancashire, with further clinical expertise being provided by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.
Mandie Scammell, who, as well as being a senior lecturer at City University of London, is the joint principal investigator for the project, said: “I’m honoured to be part of a project team that brings such a range of voices, including members of the public, to the maternity care research table.
“We all know that inclusivity is essential to safety in the maternity services. This is why our project uses co-design to gather the evidence on how best to support and improve outcomes for those seeking to birth spontaneously.”
Setting about its aim to create a “holistic, personalised birth bundle” for pregnant women, the project will launch on the 20th of January.
Clinical Associate Professor in Obstetrics at the University of Nottingham, Dr Kate Walker, added: “I’m really excited to work on this collaboration. It’s a topic that needs investigation. I want to be able to support women/pregnant people with high quality evidence to guide their choices around childbirth.”
The project has been funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research – for more information on CHERISH, click here.
