Trust welcomes Italian midwifery students 

Staff at University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) hosted a group of midwifery students from Italy on Thursday, who visited St Mary’s Maternity Unit in Poole to learn more about the NHS and maternity services in the UK.
The visit was organised by Professor Mauro Barchiesi from the Università Politecnica delle Marche in Ancona, and involved 10 first and second year midwifery students.

Students had the chance to meet various members of staff working across the unit during guided tours of the maternity wards, and learn about the future of maternity services for Dorset, including the development of UHD’s BEACH (Births, Emergency, And Critical care, children’s Health) building at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital site. Their visit also provided the opportunity for UHD staff to discuss the prospect of international recruitment and career opportunities provided by the trust next year.

The day was of particular significance to Professor Mauro Barchiesi in the wake of Brexit and the pandemic. “Our visit has been a long time coming following two previous cancellations, and we are delighted to be the first international cohort welcomed by the trust post-pandemic. An initiative like this really unites us and is a clear sign that our friends in the NHS, and within our own Italian health service, have been able to overcome the challenges caused by Covid-19. It has been a unique and successful day for my students and myself, and is hopefully the starting point for future collaboration and further initiatives between us.”

Kerry Taylor, head of midwifery for UHD, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to host Professor Barchiesi and his students today. It’s been a great opportunity to showcase all the things we do well here at UHD, and to show our maternity unit in full working order. It was a very busy day for us in the unit, so the students were able to come in and see the pace that we work at in UK midwifery, along with the services we’re able to offer. The students were delightful and it’s been lovely to share experiences.”