It has been an exciting time for the LabourPains subcommittee: we have a new website, a new web address, a new chair and a refreshed committee.
Firstly, There have been some big changes within the committee structure. After many of years of dedication, hard work and loyal service, Dr Kerry Litchfield has stood down as Chair of the Labour Pains subcommittee. We would like to take this opportunity to thank her for everything she has achieved. We are fortunate that she has agreed to stay on in the committee as a co-opted member, so we will continue to benefit from her experience and passion. We also welcome Malcolm Broom, Vinnie Sodhi (returning), Anna Wilkinson, Jess Smith (RCM rep) and Ayanthi Gunasekera (RCOG rep) to the fold! Fiona Pearson has also agreed to remain a co-opted member.
Lastly, to introduce myself: my name is Dr Gemma Crossingham and I am the new Chair of the LabourPains subcommittee. I work in Plymouth, Devon, and I'm passionate about positive psychology, language, workplace culture and shared decision making, so I am thoroughly enjoying this new role, getting to know the other inspirational members of the wider committee and learning how the system works.
The new LabourPains website
We hope that all of our members have enjoyed the new website and found it easy to use and helpful. There are now two principal main pages with information on caesarean deliveries and pain relief for labour. Our popular translations can now be found by scrolling down the homepage or by clicking on the 'Information: All languages' tab in the website navigation.
The website address of LabourPains has changed from labourpains.com to labourpains.org. The reason for this was two-fold: the dot-org address is primarily used for non-profit websites such as charities, NGOs, open-source projects and educational platforms. It conveys a level of professionalism, trustworthiness, and authority – all the characteristics we'd expect to be associated with the OAA and LabourPains. The launch of the new-look LabourPains website was an opportune time to make this change. Please be mindful that the redirection service from the dot-com website is no longer functional. Therefore, please ensure that the resources within your own departments are directing patients and staff to the correct website, LabourPains.org!
We are fortunate to have so many committed and enthusiastic members of the committee as we are now embarking on a thorough review process of all our resources. We have listened to feedback from our users and agree that some of our leaflets are too long and require updating. We will focus on content review, reading age and the use of positive, non-judgmental language as well as improving our communication and representation of risk. We are also hoping to collaborate with the RCoA on some joint resources, so watch this space!
Accurate and accessible
A longer-term strategic consideration is how we ensure that the information we provide is accessible to those who need it most. This will include working closely with other groups and organisations, such as the The Motherhood Group, to understand what we can do to ensure that LabourPains is doing everything it can to provide accurate, accessible information to the many patients who need it. We also hope to expand our social media presence to facilitate this.
LabourPains is a resource for healthcare professionals and patients. As such, we rely on your feedback and ideas to help us learn and improve. If you have any feedback on any of our resources (positive or otherwise) or would like to contribute or collaborate, please get in touch via our social media platforms on Instagram and X (Twitter) or email secretariat@oaa.ac.uk.
