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Credit
Giuseppe Labriola's film - Final edited version. In copyright. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Giuseppe Labriola, Associate Director Nursing and Midwifery at Newham University Hospital, filmed in artist's studio in October 2020.
Giuseppe Labriola, a registered nurse and a registered midwife, was responsible for maternity services at Newham in 2020. The service includes a stand-alone midwifery-led Barking Birth Centre, a hospital labour ward, and a home-birth service, something Giuseppe Labriola was proud of - to be able to offer the full range of maternity support for women.
At first, he assumed the virus would be similar to seasonal flu and did not feel alarmed. But once the pandemic spread across Europe and severely affected Italy, the situation became frightening. Giuseppe Labriola realised that they would not be able to continue running services as usual and that significant changes were required. As a result, the home-birth service had to be suspended, births at the midwifery-led Barking Birth Centre were stopped, ward visiting stopped, and many appointments were moved to virtual consultations. A new COVID-free maternity ward was created for both antenatal and postnatal care. Women were admitted through a maternity assessment area, screened for COVID-19, and then transferred to the most appropriate location based on their results.
There was considerable anxiety about coming into the hospital, and many women struggled with the absence of partners on the wards. In response, the maternity helpline capacity was increased and patients were informed about the service changes through a specially created video.
Giuseppe Labriola described the immense pressure on the staff who were able to continue working, as well as the strong camaraderie that developed among the team. He felt that the difficulties staff faced were not adequately recognised and emphasised that this must be addressed. Nurses and midwives, he stressed, need to be properly valued and paid.
Keywords: Death from Covid, Teamwork, Leadership, Difficult conversations, Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Midwifery