IDM2023: Sally Hammond, Research Midwife

To celebrate International Day of the Midwife 2023, Research Midwife, Sally Hammond shares her midwifery research journey and hopes to inspire others to consider a path in research.

From the beginning

In 2003 after many years in the customer service industry I decided I wanted a career change and following an access course, I began my midwifery degree as a mature student. My inspiration came from conversations with my Mum who had completed part one of her midwifery conversion in 1967.

I qualified as a midwife in January 2008 and worked the first few years of my career in South Wales. Relocation closer to my hometown of Manchester saw me join Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) in 2018. My initial role in the Trust was a rotational midwife, providing care in all aspects of antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care.

My path in research

I moved into research at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout my years as a clinical midwife, it has always been instilled in me that evidence-based practice is at the heart of what we do. When an opportunity presented that meant I could contribute to providing evidence to change practice for the better, I didn’t hesitate to go for it.

Within a few short weeks of commencing my new role, a global pandemic was announced, and the majority of research was paused as the focus for became the delivery of the Urgent Priority Health Studies as directed by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

The NIHR played a critical role during COVID-19 in funding, enabling, and delivering ground-breaking research that helped to save lives globally. Much of our research informed government policy and provided NHS doctors and nurses with the tools they needed to treat COVID-19.

Over the next seven months I teamed up with colleagues across Research and Innovation (R&I) from a variety of specialisms to support these studies. Although this was a daunting time for me being new to research, I felt compelled to embrace the challenge and contribute to cutting-edge research at MFT, ensuring high standards of data quality and patient safety.

The Falcon-MoonShot study (Facilitating Accelerated CLinical evaluation Of Novel diagnostic tests for COVID-19) was set up at the request of the UK Department of Health and Social Care, who asked for a solution for COVID-19 testing through the assessment of lateral flow tests. The MFT site at the Etihad Football Stadium in Manchester was the first location worldwide to be set up for this purpose and we recruited our first participant in September 2020.

My next stop was helping to set up and run the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine trial, preparing vaccines for administration. Working quickly and resourcefully ensured that MFT was able to consent the first participant in the world to the study, providing an excellent service to participants and hitting the required recruitment target within eight weeks.

Latterly, I supported the RECOVERY and ACCORD2 trials to test a range of potential treatments for COVID-19. I am immensely proud of the contribution I made to research developments during the pandemic and overall, the country’s achievements reflect the tremendous dedication and effort from all within the field of research.

Following the implementation of the vaccine programme and the end of lockdowns, research focused upon getting back to business as usual and I was able to begin to establish my role in maternity research in Spring 2021.

Midwifery research

I am based at Saint Marys, Wythenshawe Hospital and whilst research has been embedded into maternity care at Saint Mary’s, Oxford Road Campus for many years, it is not as far along in its research journey at the Wythenshawe site. My colleagues and I have worked tirelessly to establish a culture of change and commitment to improving outcomes for our women through research. It is crucial that there is equity in opportunity, to participate in research for all women, regardless of where their pregnancy is booked.

Staff engagement has been a priority and it is really encouraging that so many midwives have been receptive to supporting studies on the wards. This has never been more evident than during the set-up of ‘iHOLDS’ – the very first drug trial running on Wythenshawe’s delivery suite. This was a real achievement as it also coincided with the implementation of HIVE, our electronic patient record at MFT.

The iHOLDS trial is a double blinded, randomised controlled trial study looking at standard dose vs a higher dose of oxytocin for first time mums undergoing induction of labour. This means that both the research midwives and participants do not know which dose they will receive. The aim of the trial is to see if it affects the caesarean section rate.

Evidence demonstrates that pregnant women want to take part in research. This is supported by our iHOLDS recruitment figures which have increased month on month and at times have been 350% above target.

I am fortunate to be supported by a wider team of research midwives who are keen to share their experiences and knowledge of leading cutting-edge research trials, the outcomes of which have changed practice locally, nationally, and even globally.

Two days are never the same in research and there are many opportunities to learn and acquire new skills. Being able to manage your own time, prioritise tasks and pay attention to detail are key attributes of a research midwife.

I hope that going forward, we can grow the midwifery research team here at Saint Mary’s, Wythenshawe and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a career in research to any member of staff with a desire to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and improvement of care.

Celebrating International Day of the Midwife 2023

Today, as we celebrate the International Day of the Midwife, it highlights the important role of midwives in reducing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality and celebrates their achievements and contribution to improving sexual, reproductive, maternal, and newborn health outcomes. Locally I will be supporting the wider team with the celebrations, but I would like to wish all of my fellow midwives, a happy International Day of the Midwife.