Maternal Health and Wellbeing

Organisation of maternity care, including content and workforce

Pregnancy, childbirth and the early period following birth is increasingly acknowledged as important for the health and wellbeing of women, families and for society. It is vital that women and families receive high quality care.

There are challenges in achieving the quality of maternity care that women and families need and healthcare professionals want to provide. There are also challenges for the maternity workforce in the UK and internationally. 

Research within the Maternal Health and Wellbeing Research Group explores maternity services and how they are delivered, aiming to inform national guidelines and support midwives and other maternity professionals in providing the best possible care. 

Our research also investigates women’s experiences of maternity care, so as to better address their needs and concerns. 

Research that makes an impact

Factors influencing the utilisation of free-standing and alongside midwifery units in England: A mixed methods research study

Midwifery units are safe, reduce caesarean section rates, improve patient satisfaction and are cheaper than hospital obstetric units. So why don’t more women use them?

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Trained doula support for disadvantaged childbearing women  

This study examined the impacts and experiences of volunteer doula support provided in five areas in England. 

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Discover more research

Find out about some of our other research projects

organisation-maternity-care

Meet our researchers

Professor Helen Spiby

Helen is head of the research group. She is an experienced midwife and internationally respected health services researcher.

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PhD opportunities

Discover the latest opportunities for PhD research in the field of maternal health and wellbeing and maternity care

 

Maternal Health and Wellbeing Research Group

The University of Nottingham
School of Health Sciences
Queen's Medical Centre
Nottingham, NG7 2HA


telephone: +44 (0)115 823 0820
email: helen.spiby@nottingham.ac.uk