Liverpool Medical Institution - presidential programme for the 186th Session, entitled 'Bringing Life'

"Major changes are taking place in maternity care across the UK.  Over the last decades we have seen gradual changes as those getting pregnant have changed leading to increased rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and stillbirth. But changes in society have also meant that women have also become more educated with more access to high (and low) quality information with which to make their own decisions. These changes, combined with important legal developments, mean that women should be very much in charge of their own births. And yet, several maternity scandals and reports from the Care Quality Commission have shown that this cultural change has not always happened. Legal payouts are at a record high and in hospitals many maternity staff feel unsupported and victimised.

These factors have come together over the last 5 years in a perfect storm where maternal choice, coupled with fear and distrust in the system, have led to escalating levels of labour induction, caesarean section and ‘free birth’. A national conversation is needed into where maternity care in the UK is going.
 
How can we improve outcomes for women and their babies whilst at the same time providing safe, compassionate, empowering care? This lecture series, streamed live from the iconic Liverpool Medical Institution, will explore birth in the UK: current perspectives as well as visions for the future by leading maternity practitioners, campaigners and experts."

All lectures will take place in-person and online 6-7pm.

• Thursday 19th March 2026: Professor Soo Downe
  Can the overuse of risk assessments actually increase risk in labour and birth?

• Friday 27th March 2026: Professor Jonathan McFarland
  Humanism in surgery: how we can learn from the past

• Thursday 2nd April 2026: Professor James Walker
  What does 'good' look like for UK maternity services? A view from the maternity reviews.

• Thursday 23rd April 2026: Geeta Nayar
  How do we prevent birth trauma?

• Thursday 7th May 2026: Dr Carol Kingdon
  A social history of academic midwifery in the UK

• Thursday 14th May 2026: Dr Clea Harmer
  What can be done to achieve real change in maternity and neonatal care?

• Thursday 28th May 2026: Indie Kaur
  Is India ready for midwifery care?

• Thursday 4th June 2026: Dame Tina Lavender
  Strengthening midwifery globally

• Thursday 18th June 2026: Professor Alex Heazell
  Maternity services in the UK: a vision for the future