The practice development galaxy: collaboration of stars within the midwifery universe

I have been learning to navigate through the galaxy maze of Practice Development with the intention of providing a shining celestial space for all — the women and their providers of care. Practice Development, as a new and emerging process of generating practice change, is being undertaken in a Maternity Service. It is important to investigate the experience of health professionals involved in Practice Development in order to gather insights into: the challenges; ways of generating success; impacts on the culture of the workplace; and for documenting shifts in practice and practice knowledge. Such investigations will ultimately lead to greater clarity about the social and personal expectations, personal qualities and skill-sets associated with practice development. A co-operative pluralistic evaluation research project is being undertaken. The setting for the study is a maternity service. Groups of midwives within this setting have been working in Practice Development ways to plan a large Practice Development intervention aimed at improving care provision, communication and the workplace culture. The Practice Development processes adopted by the unit are consultative and co-operative. The team has developed a comprehensive plan for practice change and have established practice change groups of staff to design and implement these changes. These activities are ongoing.This presentation will explore how the project was initiated and findings from the ongoing evaluation will be presented.The findings from this Practice Development Initiative will have relevance to all midwives. Practice Development could be initiated in any maternity service to enhance the environment for individual women and their families and all involved in their care