I recently had the privilege of speaking about my Deaf Nest project (Box 1) at the annual conference of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Scotland, entitled ‘Daring Greatly—The Midwives Way’. As RCM Scotland Director Dr Gillian Smith said, the conference looked at maternity care, ‘which is on the fringes of what is considered the usual care, and because of individuals' needs has to go that little further.’ I had a chance to meet some inspirational people who are putting lots of effort every day into improving maternity services, not only for women and their families but also for colleagues.
Box 1.Deaf NestDeaf Nest encourages positive experiences for mothers and families with hearing difficulties. The project provides clear guidance, visual aids and information on all stages of pregnancy in British Sign Language. Paulina Ewa Sporek won the award for Student Midwife of the Year at the BJM Midwifery Practice Awards 2014 for her work developing the Deaf Nest project.
I have learnt a great deal about different projects undertaken by midwives. For instance, the Compassionate Connections programme and Story Worlds learning resource supervised by Sandra Smith, Educational Project Manager with NHS Scotland. The resource is an innovative, evidence-based approach to teaching which uses storytelling, interpretation and reflection to facilitate learning. As programme lead, Sandra works closely and collaboratively with women and their families as well as colleagues from health, social care and the voluntary sector, Scottish Government and higher education. The programme places compassionate, person-centred care at the heart of service delivery in order to improve outcomes for service users and staff.
I also learnt a lot about cancer and pregnancy from the ‘Facing our Fears’ presentation by Nicolette Peel, Chair of Mummy's Star charity which supports women diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy or postnatally. Following the birth of her daughter in 2011, Nicolette was re-diagnosed with cancer. Consequently, she launched the charity with Pete Wallroth shortly before commencing her midwifery degree in 2013.
Another presentation I enjoyed greatly was a light-hearted talk from Claire Shearer, who shared some stories from her PhD study where she has been researching life ‘as it was lived’ during training for those who lived it.
I left the event in high spirits, feeling very proud to be a student midwife. I also realised that, sadly, there was no single platform that would allow me to share all these amazing projects with others. In today's networked world, teamwork is more than just a creditable goal—in my eyes, it's a required skill. Involving people in broad issues is motivational. The views of others can enhance everything: methods, standards, processes and overall effectiveness. Therefore, in order to create a truly collaborative environment, I decided I had to reinforce the importance of sharing ideas with others.
With this in mind, I have created a unique online space where midwives and other health professionals can share their projects with others. It is a space where we can exchange ideas, link with people who have been working on the same topic and, together, improve outcomes. There are three simple steps to get involved.
1. Share your project
Tell other people what your project or idea is about so they can understand it easily and make contributions. The process of innovating must adapt to the changing world, which includes new social network dynamics. The only way forward is to innovate and share with others.
2. Get people involved
Gather feedback and exchange ideas on how to bring your concept to reality or refine your ongoing project. The greatest contributions always occur when there is passion around an idea. The key to enabling this passion is the Midwifery Share Room, where all projects are openly viewable by everyone, allowing free and open discussions. Innovators are encouraged to use their creativity and social networking skills to reach out to organisations and gain support or assistance. Within this framework, they share ideas for improving their concepts or working on suggested implementations.
3. Make it a winner
Bring your project or idea to the next level and closer to making a real change in the community. The Midwifery Share Room allows you to add photos, audio and video alongside text and your contact details. Make it happen!