Application closing date: 30/04/2020
Salary: £14,924 a year for 3 years (plus PhD fees paid)
Package: Yearly stipend of £14,924 a year for 3 years (plus PhD fees paid)

Job description

PhD opportunity 

Collective between the School of Health and Social Care (SHSC) at Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) and NHS Lothian

Yearly stipend of GBP 14,924 a year for 3 years (plus PhD fees paid)

Title: Stillbirth: an exploration of the experiences and perceptions of bereaved mothers and practising midwives

This exciting proposal will provide a registered midwife, who is interested in care of women who have experienced stillbirth, to undertake a full-time funded PhD over a three-year period. In agreement with the Chief Midwife of NHS Lothian, the successful applicant will receive an honorary contract as a midwife at the Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health (SCRH) at the Royal Infirmary Edinburgh (RIE). Part of this role will require the successful candidate to work 3 hours a week at RIE alongside the multi-disciplinary team involved in developing the new improved bereavement care pathway for the Simpson Maternity Unit. The PhD component will consist of a secondment to the School of Health and Social Care (SHSC) at ENU. If you are invited for an interview, you will be required to present for 10-minutes on why you are interested in perinatal bereavement and what reasons you have for applying for this PhD opportunity. Completion of this research project is intended to develop greater understanding of bereaved mothers' and midwives' experiences of stillbirth. The findings will be used to inform improvements in care and support provided to women, partners, families and midwives who have experienced a stillbirth.

Background

The United Kingdom (UK) has one of the highest rates of stillbirth in Europe, with experience of stillbirth an extremely distressing event. In addition, the economic implications of stillbirth are significant, with a paucity of research that has explored the long-term impact of stillbirth on bereaved mothers living in Scotland. Providing care and support to bereaved parents is also a highly demanding and emotional journey for clinicians, yet there has been little research exploring the impact of their experiences, or the effects of this on midwives who provide care and support to women and families around this time. Given the uncertainties in care provision, care experience and the impact on mental health, this project aims to explore the lived experience of bereaved mothers and midwives in relation to stillbirth and perinatal bereavement.

Pre-requisite:

• Midwife currently registered with the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) 
• Must have evidence of Post Graduate Study
• Applications should be submitted by Thursday 30th April 2020
• Interview date: 21 May 2020 at ENU Sighthill Campus
• Scholarship start date: Thursday 1st October 2020

To apply: please send a covering letter and cv to Prof Caroline J Hollins Martin email: c.hollinsmartin@napier.ac.uk

For any informal enquiries or information please contact:

Prof Caroline J Hollins Martin who is based in the School of Health and Social Care at Edinburgh Napier University (Sighthill Campus).
Email: c.hollinsmartin@napier.ac.uk or phone 07845656910