Zoey Spendlove
DipHE, RM, BA, MAEmail: zoey.spendlove@nottingham.ac.uk
Current Status: Registered
Year of Registration: 2011
Expected Completion Date: /09/2014
Primary Funding Source:
GTA
Research Topic:
Regulation, midwives and medical men
Research Details:
Within the United Kingdom the regulation of health care professionals has become of major political interest with increasing publicity of health care scandals. The medical profession in particular, has been scrutinized and criticized for the lack of a robust system which assures an ongoing competence and fitness to practise post qualification. A Government White Paper has been published detailing a programme of reform to ensure that all statutorily regulated professionals can demonstrate their continued fitness to practise in the form of 'revalidation'. The introduction of revalidation for health care professionals, especially the medical profession, marks a significant change in culture in the requirement to provide proof of continued competence and fitness for practise post qualification. The midwifery profession is also subject to revalidation despite having its own regulatory framework of statutory supervision.
There is also a long standing history of the struggle for professionalization and control of childbirth. Midwives have enjoyed 'autonomy' within the realms of normality of childbirth and 'self regulation' in the form of statutory supervision. Obstetricians have also enjoyed 'autonomy' within the realms of abnormal childbirth and 'self regulation', in that the evaluation of their performance has been managed within their profession. There will be unrest within both professional groups due to the uncertain future of professional regulation and this research will aim to explore the professions' responses to such uncertainty and their potential pursuit and maintenance of monopoly and status within this uncertainty. Unrest between the two professions has the potential to reignite the battle for supremacy and professionalization within the realms of childbirth and as such has potential impact upon future care provision and division of roles and responsibilities.
CurrentTeaching: Teaching due to commence next semester on 'people and organisations' with Ruth McDonald.
Research Supervisor/s: Ruth McDonald and Emma Rowley
Division: Management