Celebrating International Day of the Midwife - meet Faith Manyema-Nicol

Faith Manyema-Nicol’s career could have looked very different – she originally went to law school.

But during her studies she had a change of heart, switched to healthcare, and is currently working as a research midwife at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

Her role combines clinical work with research, helping to run studies that could lead to improvements in care in the future.

She said: “I felt this was a place I could make a difference for others. I feel strongly about giving back to the community I live in, and this role allows me to do that.”

Faith originally worked as a nurse before training as a midwife and has spent more than two decades helping to care for women/birthing people and families. She has worked in various roles in midwifery, including practice education and more recently, in academia, helping to teach others.

She joined our Trust last year, and works closely with her counterpart at WHH, as well as research and maternity teams.

She said: “The role is dual, part research and clinical. They go hand in hand. Clinical work informs the research we should be doing, and the research, in turn, contributes to improvement in patient outcomes.

“I am keen to integrate opportunities for participating in research into a woman’s journey, to enrich their care, and in general people are willing to take part, and to have the opportunity to help improve care.”

Faith and the team are exceeding targets for study recruitment, with one trial recruiting significantly more people a month than the target.

Currently, she is involved in two studies around preterm birth, one observational using data to look at different contributing factors, and an interventional study comparing the effectiveness of different types of cervical stitch - all aimed at improving outcomes for women/birthing people and their families.

She said: “At the moment we don’t have enough data to be able to draw conclusions about which approach is more effective.

“These studies meet a very current need, and will make a real difference in the future, improving the childbearing experience and potentially saving babies’ lives.

“We are one of many sites taking part and it is wonderful to be able to put East Kent Hospitals on the map and to be part of these amazing studies women/birthing people can benefit from.

“It is a real privilege to have the opportunity to make a difference for patient care in this way.”