Pregnant women and new mothers who are migrants or asylum-seekers often face major obstacles to good health. Research actively involving people with lived experience is shedding light on key concerns.
Hannah Rayment-Jones, a midwife and NIHR research fellow at ARC South London, worked with Tomasina Stacey, of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care at King’s College London, and the Maternity Stream Research Network, to organise a migrants’ maternal health conference in November.
A group of people sitting at a table watching a presentation at the conference
Held at Bush House, King's College London, Strand campus, the conference was open to, and showcased the work of, experts by experience, charities, key stakeholders, community groups, health and social care professionals and researchers.
Hannah Rayment-Jones and Zenab Barry, a peer researcher working with the ARC's maternity and perinatal mental health theme, delivered a keynote speech on improving health and social inequalities for mothers and children with no recourse to public funds and irregular immigration status.
The event was well-attended, with positive engagement and a roundtable discussion that identified priorities for future research on migrants’ maternal and child health.
The scale of the event was just right. It was welcoming and felt comfortable, especially as our team had a mother with her toddler - so nice for her to experience being part of this.
Find out more
View the conference webpage, which includes links to presentations from the day. You can also watch a powerful video developed with women giving birth in the asylum system, a reminder of how sharing knowledge in various ways can highlight health inequalities and specific areas where change is needed.
Read more about maternity and perinatal mental health research at ARC South London.