London Maternity & Midwifery Festival 2026
Wednesday 11 February 2026 | Royal National Hotel, 38-51 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0DG
AGENDA
LONDON MATERNITY AND MIDWIFERY FESTIVAL
Wednesday 11 February 2026
08.30 Visit the exhibition, attend a breakfast event, enter the competition
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09.00 – 09.20 Knitting and crochet for wellbeing Workshop |
09.00 – 09.15 MEET THE EXPERT: Tips to survive and thrive |
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Knitting for all with midwife, experienced HE teacher and lifelong knitter, Dr Amanda Hutcherson, Founder, Knitting Creative |
With Dr Anna Byrom, Director, All4Maternity |
| 09.45 |
Chair’s opening remarks Sue Macdonald, Maternity and Midwifery Festival Programme Curator and Editor, Mayes Midwifery |
| 09.40 |
Keynote Address Speaker TBA |
| 10.00 |
Student midwives’ exposure to physiological birth: An analysis of 3055 births Dr Claire Feeley. Senior Lecturer and Midwifery/Maternal Health Researcher, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, Kings College London
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| 10.20 |
Teaching Waterbirth for the 21st century. Love, skills and knowledge Dianne Garland, Founder, MidwifeExpert; Author
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| 10.40 | Q & A |
10.55 – 11.40 BREAK, NETWORKING AND EXHIBITION VIEWING
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11.20 – 11.35 MEET THE EXPERT: NMC – your questions answered |
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| With Dr Jacqui Williams and Verena Wallace MBE, Senior Midwifery Advisors, Nursing and Midwifery Council |
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12.50 – 14.00 LUNCH, MEET THE EXPERT TALK, NETWORKING AND EXHIBITION VIEWING
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13.30 – 13.45 MEET THE EXPERT: Your immunisation questions answered |
13.15 – 13.30 MEET THE EXPERT: Aromatherapy in Labour: midwives’ responsibilities |
| With Greta Hayward, Consultant Midwife, Immunisation Programmes, UKHSA |
Dr Denise Tiran, international authority on midwifery complementary therapies, will explore the safety issues of aromatherapy in labour and midwives’ responsibilities when using aromatherapy or when parents bring their own oils into the birthing room. Bring your questions and share your experiences.MATFLIX/Maternity & Midwifery Forum |
STREAM A: ROOM B | STREAM B: ROOM A1 | STREAM C: ROOM A2 | STREAM D: ROOM A3
Questions from the audience follow each presentation. Please note session C2 – Pfizer Sponsored Symposium will not be live streamed or recorded.
| 14.00 – 14.30 |
A1: Improving care to mothers and babies Proactive lactation care to support mothers to prevent unplanned early cessation of breastfeeding Helen Sutherland, Medical Affairs & Education Manager for Maternity Care & NICU, Medela UK Ltd |
B1: Professional issues Midwifery matters at the NMC Dr Jacqui Williams, Senior Midwifery Advisor (Practice), Professional Practice Directorate, Nursing & Midwifery Council |
C1: Midwifery care and careers If I won the lottery… Caroline Flint, author of Sensitive Midwifery; Retired Midwife |
D1: Women & Infant Health The Impact of Peer Support through NCT Parents in Mind Programme Emily Henson, National Perinatal Peer Support Manager, NCT and Carol Amoako-Adofo, Service Delivery Manager, Parents in Mind
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| 14.35 – 15.05 |
A2: Understanding midwifery Is love a four-letter word in the midwifery profession? Dr Jenny Patterson, Midwifery Lecturer, Edinburgh Napier University and Dr Diane Menage, Lecturer, De Montfort University |
B2: Refresh, reflect and revalidate: Preparing for revalidation workshop Keeping up to date is an expectation for midwives in whatever role in the UK. Are you working on this at the moment or needing to understand what this means? Dr Jenny Hall, midwifery educator, researcher and editor, MATFLIX, aims to demystify the process. Bring your questions! |
C2: Improving care for babies, mothers and families |
Beyond screening: personalised antenatal support for expectant and new parents of babies with Down Syndrome Lucienne Cooper, Training Manager, Down Syndrome UK Q & A |
15.05 – 15.25 COMFORT BREAK, FINAL EXHIBITION VIEWING AND NETWORKING
15.10 – 15.25
MEET THE EXPERT: Making the move to digital – maternity resources for universities and trusts
Dr Anna Byrom, Director, All4Maternity and Neil Stewart, Editorial Director, MATFLIX/Maternity & Midwifery Forum
| 15.25 – 15.55 |
A3: Improving care for mothers, babies and families Immunisation in pregnancy – what, when, why & who? With Greta Hayward, Consultant Midwife, Immunisation Programmes, UKHSA |
B3: Supporting vulnerable families You were held – midwives with cameras Gaynor Morrison, Senior Lecturer, Kingston University and Sharon Bunford, Safeguarding midwife and PMA, Surrey NHS Foundation Trust |
C3/4: Midwifery education issues The consequence of the rising caesarean section rate for midwifery Nicky Clark, Freelance Midwifery Educationalist; former LME, University of Hull |
D2: Women and Infant Health Breaking down barriers in parent education: a digital solution from the Royal Surrey Hospital Kate Conway, Matron – Antenatal & Gynaecology Services, Professional Midwifery Advocate and Natalie Van Rooyen, Parent Education Specialist Midwife, The Royal Surrey Hospital |
| 16.00 – 16.30 |
A4: : Midwifery careers and possibilities A Legacy Midwife Role: a midwife in your corner Dr Sharon McDonald, Senior Head of System Workforce Mid & South Essex ICB and Jenny Crane, Legacy Midwife, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust |
B4: Complexities of care Midwifery and PTSD: through the eyes of our ancestors Tracy Curran, Lead Professional Midwifery Advocate, West Hertfordshire Teaching |
Experience of Deaf BSL users in maternity care Meghan Luton, Midwifery Lecturer, Middlesex University |