Welcome to the British Maternal & Fetal Medicine Society Website. The BMFMS aims to provide a forum where issues of relevance to Obstetricians and other professionals involved in pregnancy care are discussed.
In particular, the Society seeks to:
The ultimate goal is to encourage improved standards of pregnancy care. The BMFMS provides a Maternal and Fetal Medicine input to a variety of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) committees and has been involved in the development of the new ATSMs.
The Society makes representation to other Colleges and other national bodies/organisations when appropriate.
If you would like to apply to become a member of the BMFMS or renew your application if you do not pay by standing order please fill out the membership form and send to the Society Coordinator details below.
For any enquiry regarding the society, please contact our Society Coordinator:
Kim Jeffal
BMFMS
27 Sussex Place
Regent's Park
London
NW1 4RG
email: bmfms@rcog.org.uk
The BMFMS aims to improve the standard of pregnancy care by dissemination knowledge, promoting and funding research, contributing to the development and implementation of high quality training, and providing a forum where issues relevant to pregnancy care are discussed.
The ultimate goal is to encourage improved standards of pregnancy care. The BMFMS provides a Maternal and Fetal Medicine input to relevant Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) committees and provides advice on Maternal and Fetal Medicine training to the RCOG. The BMFMS also makes representation to other Colleges and other national bodies/organisations when appropriate.
The Society also aims to develop links to other similar societies based in different geographical locations.
The British Maternal and Fetal Medicine Society was formed in 1996 as an organisation that provides opportunities for those working in obstetrics and subspecialities of perinatal medicine across the United Kingdom to meet and discuss clinical and research issues.
Our annual conference has provided a formal and informal forum for discussion of new ideas and the consolidation of old working practices in our subspeciality. It has both plenary lectures and research presentations, the quality of which is notable and recognised by the Society through a series of awards.
Recently was have launched our new website (http://bmfms.org.uk). This is in no small part because of the many hours of very hard work provided by Dr Melissa Whitworth who has produced the professional final version. We hope very much that this website will act as a portal for you to comment and make suggestions relating to the running of our society and for discussion around matters relating to maternity services within the UK. Please log-on and register for the members area.
Our society has led the way in providing multi-disciplinary conferences, the most recent of which, Perinatal 2011, was in Harrogate this June. The meeting was an outstanding success and allowed specialists working witih maternity services to meet, socialise and discuss matters with colleagues in neonates, paediatrics, paediatric surgery, midwifery and nursing.
The Executove Committee are always striving to improve the way that we deliver the annual meeting and we welcome any suggestions on improvements that the membership would care to make. Please use the website to contact us.
The Society is making an increasing contribution to the planning and provision of maternity care within the UK, reflecting stronger links with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.We are also being asked by other organisations to give guidance on national documents relating to maternity care. We need help and advice from our members so that we can provide comprehensive input and expertise into these documents and to lobby for priorities for maternity matters within the UK.
Our Education and Training Group has produced the curriculum and logbooks for subspecialty training and for the obstetric ATSMs. It continues to work with the RCOG and interact with the GMC to improve this toolkit. These curricula will continue to be evaluated over the next few years and we will work together with the RCOG to achieve this.
We have also had input into the recent work performed on obstetric workload and planning for subspecialists in the future. The society had contributed to the RCOG standards in obstetrics and is also a member of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, having input into EU initiatives.
The formation of the specialist research clinical study groups is a major step forward in research collaboration. These research working groups have already started to bear fruit with some excellent projects funded by national grant giving agencies. The RCOG has established the National Reproductive Health Research Network and the adoption of clinical study groups. Within this umbrella it is hoped to stimulate research based on critical appraisal of the literature. The aim of these groups is to identify research parameters and facilitate high-quality trials. At present the BMFMS acts as a sponsor fot the clinical study groups in fetal medicine, intrapartum care and maternal medicine. We also have our own research bursaries as well and those co-sponsored by Wellbeing of Women.
The provision of obstetric care is changing. Optimal care will require networking between units to make the most of the obstetric skills available. The BMFMS hopes to play a role in configuring and reviewing these services so that maternity networks can be mapped onto the already created and functioning newborn networks within England and Wales.
We are increasingly asked for advice on national documents that affect maternity care within the UK. We as a society value this role and the voice it allows us nationally. However, this requires our members to actively participate in the process of reviewing this documentation and giving suggested amendments and changes based on experience. I would therefore encourage you all to take part in such peer review over the next few years and I will be calling upon you to help with the process.
The BMFMS is a progressive society that has responded to the challenges it has faced over the last 15 years to become the society we know today. It provides educational and peer support to its mambers, is a forum for decision on clinical, research and organisational matters and provides input to national and international documents. Thank you for being part of it. Your contribution to the process of this society is a vital part of its development and we need to hear from you.
Mark Kilby, President of BMFMS
The Society
The Society shall be known as the British Maternal and Fetal Medicine Society.
Hereafter in the document it will be referred to as “The Society”.
Objectives
To advance education in the subject of maternal and fetal medicine to preserve and protect good health by encouraging improved standards of pregnancy care
Aims
The Society aims to provide a forum where issues of relevance to Obstetricians and other
professionals involved in maternity care are discussed. In particular, the Society seeks to
• Disseminate knowledge
• Promote research and audit
• Establish good quality training programmes
• Encourage development of clinical guidelines.
The ultimate goal is to encourage improved standards of maternity care.
The Society will provide a Maternal and Fetal Medicine input to the Royal College of
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) including advice on training in obstetrics and
special interest / subspecialty training in Maternal and Fetal Medicine. The Society will
also make representation to other Colleges and national bodies when appropriate, including
providing relevant stakeholder feedback on relevant national documents and guidance.
The Society will develop links to other relevant professional societies with the aim of
disseminating knowledge and improving standards of care for pregnant women.
Membership
Membership is open to any professional involved in maternity care. There will be no limit
to the size of membership. To become a member, a completed application form must be
submitted to the Society’s Coordinator, along with the appropriate annual subscription fee.
Subscription rates are set by the Society and revised periodically.
Concessionary membership rates will be available for midwives and non-clinicians.
Continued membership involves the payment of the annual subscription fee. Membership will be terminated if there is
failure to pay the annual subscription. The Committee has the right to terminate membership under exceptional
circumstances.
Society Officers and Committee structure
Roles of Officers
The President will:
• Be the principal spokesperson for the Society
• Be the named stakeholder when the Society registers involvement in discussions
with other Societies or national bodies
• Chair the Committee meetings
• Chair the Annual General Meeting
• Be responsible for the accuracy of the minutes of meetings.
The Secretary will:
• Be responsible for coordinating the activities of the Committee
• Be responsible for the production of the minutes of the Committee and Annual
General Meetings
• Collaborate closely with the appointed Conference Organiser
• Act as deputy to the President in terms of representing the Society at relevant
meetings.
The Treasurer will:
• Be responsible for the Society’s finances and producing an annual audit of accounts at the Annual General Meetings.
• Advise the Committee about financial issues eg when subscription rates need to be
raised
• Advise about the registration fee or any surcharge necessary for Annual Meetings of
the Society, to ensure that these Meetings do not run at a financial loss and
generate some income for the Society
The Committee will comprise of 23 members, drawn wherever possible from England, Wales,
Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Appointment of Committee Members
1. Notification of vacancies or new appointments to the committee will be circulated
to Society members (by email or web posting).
2. Candidates, with their agreement, must be nominated by 2 Society members (by postal
return of signed nomination paper)
3. A voting paper with details of candidates will be circulated (by email or
web posting).
4. Votes will be registered by return of a signed ballot paper to the BMFMS office.
5. Members can only vote once for each vacancy advertised.
The Society’s Officers and Committee members will be elected by the membership of the
Society for a term of three years. The President may not be re-elected, but other Officers
and Committee members may be re-elected once for a second three-year term. A willing person
can serve a third term, if no other candidates come forward for election. The Committee
reserves the right to allow flexibility in the timing of appointments, to ensure continuity
within the Committees. It is anticipated that no more than four committee members will
change in one year.
Committee Membership:
• President
• Honorary Secretary
• Treasurer
• Scientific representative
• Trainee representative x2
• District General Hospital representative x2
• Abstract Co-ordinator
• Prize Co-ordinator
• Maternal Medicine representative x 2
• Labour & Delivery representative x 2
• Pregnancy Outcome representative x 2
• Fetal Medicine representative x2
• Education and Training representative
In addition, there may be up to four ex officio members:
• Representative of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM)
• Representative of the British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM)
• Revalidation representative
• Website co-ordinator
Ex-officio members representing the RCM and BAPM will be elected by their respective
organisations for a period of three years but may be re-elected once for a second three-year
term. The appointment of other ex-officio members is at the discretion of the Committee.
Such appointments will usually be for a period of three years.
In addition to the above a representative of the Conference Organiser may be invited to
attend Committee Meetings where appropriate.
12 out of 23 members, with at least 2 officers, would be quorate.
The Committee will meet at least twice during the year, as necessary to fulfil its functions. The functions of the Committee
will be as follows:
• Development of Maternal and Fetal Medicine special interest and subspecialty
training
• Identification / provision of BMFMS representatives for RCOG and other relevant
national committees
• Organisation of the Annual Meeting of the Society
• Organisation of joint meetings with other Societies /Groups.
Working Groups
The Committee may draw up small Working Groups, usually chaired by a Committee
Member, where an issue is identified needing consultation and discussion. Members of
these Groups will be co-opted from the Society’s wider membership. These Groups will report
to the Committee and their continued existence will be reviewed on an annual basis.
Society Coordinator
The Society will employ a Coordinator whose functions will be:
• Keeping a full and up-to-date membership list
• Collecting the annual subscriptions
• Deal with the day to day financial matters pertaining to the Society
• Keeping a permanent record of the Minutes of all Society Meetings
• Keeping on file copies of all correspondence relevant to the Society, including
Committee minutes.
• Communicating with the Society’s members via mail, website posting or email when
there are items of news to be disseminated from the Officers or Committees, or
where the members’ views need to be canvassed about a subject.
• In liaison with the Website Coordinator, maintaining an up-to-date Society website, in liaison with any persons or
company employed for that purpose
The Society Coordinator will usually be present at Committee meetings.
Conference Organisers
The Committee will appoint Conference Organisers to deal with the practical arrangements of
their Annual Meeting (selecting conference venues, negotiating rates of hire, identifying
suitable accommodation, publicity, registration, trade exhibitions etc). The Committee will
review contracts periodically.
The Conference Organisers will participate in parts of Committee meetings relevant to
Conference Organisation and take minutes accordingly.
Change in Constitution
1. Any change in the Constitution must be proposed at least 2 months in advance of
the Annual General Meeting to the Committee and have a seconder who must also be a
Member of the Society.
2. The decision on the proposal will be on the basis of a straight majority vote of
those attending the Annual General Meeting.
“FROM LITTLE ACORNS...”
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BRITISH MATERNAL AND FETAL MEDICINE SOCIETY
Prepared by David James
Emeritus Professor of Fetomatermal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham
Origins
In the early 1990’s obstetricians were becoming less involved in the management of normal (‘low risk’) pregnancies where the majority, if not all, care was provided by midwives in the community. In contrast there were many developments in screening, diagnosis and management in problem (‘at risk’) pregnancies that obstetricians had to assimilate into their practice.
With this background in 1994, a questionnaire survey was undertaken of all Members and Fellows of the RCOG to explore the support for a new Society which would provide a forum where the above issues of relevance to obstetricians and related health professionals could be discussed. The survey had an 80% response rate and over 90% of the responders supported the concept. Thus, the British Maternal and Fetal Medicine Society was born.
First meeting
The planning for the inaugural meeting took place via a series of meetings in my office in the Queen’s Medical Centre during 1995 and early 1996. The first organising committee comprised people whom I knew and whom I could persuade to get involved. They were Bryan Beattie (Cardiff), John Grant (Belshill), Ian Greer (Glasgow), Mary Pillai and Peter Soothill (Bristol), Steve Robson (Newcastle), Charles Rodeck and Phil Steer (London), David Taylor (Leicester), Steve Walkinshaw (Liverpool) and myself. One of the wisest parts of the planning was to appoint Bell Howe Conferences as the Conference Organiser. Diana Bell in particular was very helpful in guiding us and she was a loyal supporter of the Society in its early days including taking the Minutes at meetings both of the Organising Committee and the Annual General Meeting of the Society itself.
The first meeting took place at Warwick University on 18-19th April1996. There were approximately 250 delegates and our first Keynote Speakers were Prof Surla Eik Nes, Dr Neil Marlow, Prof Ingemar Ingemarsson and Prof Baha Sibai. The meeting was a huge success and there was massive support for the Society and the annual meetings to continue. Positive features included:
Second meeting
With the endorsement of the delegates at the Inaugural meeting, we planned a second meeting for 1997. The organising Committee made a number of changes on the basis of suggestions from the 1996 delegates.
The second meeting of BMFMS took place on 20th and 21st March 1997, again at Warwick University. The attendance was even better than 1996 with nearly 300 delegates. Once more we were able to attract keynote speakers with an international reputation and the second meeting was even more successful with the Society growing its reputation.
The main issues at the AGM were discussions about a Constitution for the Society and the election of Officers. Subsequent to the voting Martin Whittle was elected to be President and Rupert Fawdry was Treasurer. I was elected as the Society’s Secretary. A constitution was developed and annual conferences became the norm.
Society Officers over the years
|
President |
|
|
Martin Whittle |
(1998-2001) |
|
Secretary |
|
|
David James |
(1998-2001) |
|
Treasurer |
|
|
Rupert Fawdry |
(1998-2003) |
Subsequent meetings and Conference Organisers
Conference Organisers : Bell Howe Conferences
| Year | Conference Venue |
| 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 |
Warwick |
Conference Organisers : Hampton Medical Conferences
| Year | Conference Venue |
| 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 |
York |
The initial overall aim of the Society was to provide an annual forum where professionals interested in management of problem pregnancies could meet, ‘network’ and learn about the latest clinical and scientific developments.
However, within 2-3 years of its foundation it became clear that the Society wanted to become more involved nationally whilst continuing to work with the RCOG. This led to various important developments in the areas of education and training and formal links with the RCOG such as representation on RCOG Committees; joint meeting organisation; the establishment of our own Office at the College.
There have been successful joint annual meetings with other groups and societies. For several years the Macdonald UK Obstetric Medicine Society held its annual meeting the day preceding BMFMS in order to maximise attendance. More recently we have had combined Perinatal Medicine Meetings in 2008 and 2011 which have been organised in conjunction with the Neonatal Nurse Association, British Association of Perinatal Medicine and the Neonatal Nurses Society.
In summary, the Society has come a long way and looks set to continue and prosper in the future. The care of high risk pregnancies is in safe hands!