In the UK, 1 in 6 babies (8%) are born early (or prematurely) before 37 weeks. Babies born early are at higher risk of dying as newborns and of long-term health issues. The Pre-term Birth Surveillance Pathway was developed by NHS England to standardise care and help predict, prevent and prepare for early births.
A study carried out by ARC South London researcher Dr Naomi Carlisle into the implementation of the pathway has now won the Patient-Led Research Award at the 2025 Health Services Research (HSR) UK conference. The awards, which recognise and celebrate excellence in health and social care research, took place in Newcastle from the 2-3 July 2025.
The judges praised the IMPART study, commenting that "they were particularly impressed with how the primary evaluation outcome was shaped directly by the patients involved, as well as the theories and analysis."
I am so pleased that the IMPART study has won this award. Claire Garner and the other patient and public involvement (PPI) representatives for the IMPART study selflessly shared their stories and time, and as a result the study hugely benefited from their guidance. I am delighted that this award highlights the benefits of strong PPI within research.
The research team had analysed 29 research papers, interviewed people who have developed guidance for pathways and conducted a national survey of practice. They also carried out in-depth analysis at three hospitals with a preterm birth pathway, observational research, interviews with women and staff and reviewed local guidelines.
This study team identified improvements and made suggestions on how best to implement the care pathway. These included:
The IMPART study had previously been included in an NIHR Alert, which highlighted how obstetricians, midwives, hospital managers, and professional bodies for maternity care could use the findings to improve care.
Our IMPART study identified key areas for hospitals to focus on, to successfully implement the prediction and prevention aspects of the preterm pathway. As more and more hospitals develop a preterm birth pathway, we hope that our findings will help all women at risk of preterm birth across England receive the same standards of care. Clinicians caring for this population of women need to guard against ordinary aspects of a woman’s care being lost, simply because she is at high risk of preterm birth.