Researchers and stakeholders were brought together in an SSIA-funded roundtable event to discuss the contemporary issues faced in maternity staffing.

Roundtable event at Stewart House, London

Award: ECR Public Engagement Bursary
Academic: Dr Gabriel Facchini
Department: Economics

In February 2025, Dr Gabriel Facchini, Lecturer in Economics and member of the Centre for the Economics of the Household (EcHo), hosted a roundtable on staffing in maternity services. SSIA funding facilitated the planning and delivery of this event, enabling researchers and stakeholders to discuss key issues such as hospital workload pressures, workforce strategies and disparities in maternity outcomes. Stakeholders shared their main concerns relating to maternity staffing which helped to shape priorities for future research, including:

1. How staffing levels affect maternity outcomes;
2. Long-term effects of declining continuity of care and postnatal support;
3. Effectiveness of policy interventions relating to workforce sustainability; and
4. How to increase public trust in maternity care.

This roundtable marks a step towards improving the effectiveness of staffing policies and raising the quality of maternity care, highlighting the need for continued knowledge exchange between researchers and practitioners. Collaborative work of this kind is key to developing evidence-based solutions to real-world problems.

If you are interested in engaging in this research area, please email gabriel.facchini@rhul.ac.uk