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Dr Mandie Scamell

Senior Lecturer in Midwifery

School of Health Sciences Division of Midwifery and Radiography

Contact details

Address

Dr Mandie Scamell M104, Myddelton Street Building
City, University of London
Northampton Square
London EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom

About

Overview

Dr Mandie Scamell is a medical anthropologist and midwife specialising in risk and the maternity services in the UK. Mandie joined City in 2013 having previously been part of the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at Kings College London.

Mandie initially trained and worked as a midwife, largely in a case-loading community setting, at Maidstone and Tunbridgewells NHS Trust in Kent. Her key research interest at doctoral level was in how midwives make sense of risk and how this meaning making impacts upon maternity care provision. Having completed her PhD at the Centre for Health Service Studies at the University of Kent Canterbury, Mandie went on to lecture in midwifery at Kings College London before joining City University London in 2013. Her main area of work has been on midwifery care in the UK, with particular interests in clinical governance and institutionalised risk management technologies and in the culture and organisation of maternity care.

Qualifications

PhD, MA in research methods, Diploma in Midwifery, MRes and BA 1st class Hons.

Administrative role

  1. Admissions tutor; Masters Programme Lead

Employment

  1. Lecturer, City, University London, 2013 – present

Memberships of professional organisations

  1. Royal College of Midwives

Teaching

Teaching

- Professional Midwifery Practice
- Health and Society

Research

Research Overview

Dr Scamell's research interests centre upon the micro analysis of care delivery. Her work to date has examined the experience of giving birth in the UK from the mother's perspective and more latterly from the midwife's point of view. The changing cultural landscape in which birth performance is encapsulated, in particular the recent emergence of a hypersensitivity to risk and how this impacts upon how maternity care can be delivered, is Mandie's main area of interest. At present she is in the dissemination phase of her PhD but she plans to build upon this work in her post-doctoral period by focussing the analysis on decision making and the length of pregnancy.

Research Areas

- Maternity care
- Midwifery
- Risk
- Parent education

Grants

ESRC PhD funding

Research Centre

- Centre for Health Service Studies, University of Kent

Principal Collaborators

Professor Andy Alaszewski, University of Kent

Research students

Shawn Walker

Attendance: 2014 – present

Thesis title: The midwife's role in breech pregnancy and childbirth: developing standards of competence and expertise for specialist practice

Roa Altaweli

Attendance: 2010 – 2015

Thesis title: Interventions during the second stage of labour: An exploration of what may affect their use in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Publications

Publications by category

Book

  1. Coxon, K., Scamell, M. and Alaszewski, A. (2017). Risk, Pregnancy and Childbirth. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-138-29056-3.

Chapters (2)

  1. Scamell, A. (2016). Choice, Risk, and Moral Judgment: Using Discourse Analysis to Identify the Moral Component of Midwives’ Discourses. In Crichton, J., Candlin, C. and Firkins, A. (Eds.), Communicating Risk (Communicating in Professions and Organizations) (pp. 67–83). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
  2. Scamell, A. (2015). Social policy for midwives. In Lindsay, P. (Ed.), Introducing the Social Sciences for Midwifery Practice
    Birthing in a contemporary society     (pp. 130–143). Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-315-79428-0.

Conference papers and proceedings (2)

  1. Coates, R., Cupples, G., Scamell, A. and McCourt, C. (2019). Decision-making, care and emotion in a randomized controlled trial of two methods of outpatient induction of labour.
  2. Scamell, M. (2017). She can’t come here. Ethics of Birth Centre admission policies in the UK. Positive Birth Conference, City University London 19 Jul 2016, City University London.

Journal articles (25)

  1. Scamell, M., Thornton, J., Hales, K., Renfew, M., Dahlen, H., Jowit, M. … Burns, E. (2022). Impact of a quality improvement project to reduce the rate of obstetric anal sphincter injury: a multicentre study with a stepped‐wedge design. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 129(1), pp. 174–175. doi:10.1111/1471-0528.16885.
  2. Coates, R., Cupples, G., Scamell, A., McCourt, C. and Bhide, A. (2021). Women’s experiences of outpatient induction of labour with double balloon catheter or prostaglandin pessary: A qualitative study. Women and Birth, 34(4). doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2020.07.006.
  3. Coates, R., Cupples, G., Scamell, A. and McCourt, C. (2021). Re: BJOG Debate. Induction of labour should be offered to all women at term. FOR: Induction of labour should be offered at term. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 128(5), pp. 935–935. doi:10.1111/1471-0528.16628.
  4. Altaweli, R., McCourt, C., Scamell, M. and Curtis Tyler, K. (2019). Ethnographic study of the use of interventions during the second stage of labor in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Birth, 46(3), pp. 500–508. doi:10.1111/birt.12395.
  5. Scamell, M. and Ghumman, A. (2019). The experience of maternity care for migrant women living with female genital mutilation: A qualitative synthesis. Birth, 46, pp. 15–23. doi:10.1111/birt.12390.
  6. Coates, R., Cupples, G., Scamell, A. and McCourt, C. (2019). Women's experiences of induction of labour: Qualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis. Midwifery, 69, pp. 17–28. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2018.10.013.
  7. Walker, S., Scamell, M. and Parker, P. (2018). Deliberate acquisition of competence in physiological breech birth: A grounded theory study. Women and Birth, 31(3). doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2017.09.008.
  8. Walker, S., Parker, P. and Scamell, M. (2018). Expertise in physiological breech birth: A mixed-methods study. Birth, 45(2), pp. 202–209. doi:10.1111/birt.12326.
  9. Scamell, M. and Hanley, T. (2018). Midwifery education and technology enhanced learning: Evaluating online story telling in preregistration midwifery education. Nurse Education Today, 62, pp. 112–117. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2017.11.036.
  10. Scamell, M. and Hanley, T. (2017). Innovation in preregistration midwifery education: Web based interactive storytelling learning. Midwifery, 50, pp. 93–98. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2017.03.016.
  11. Walker, S., Breslin, E., Scamell, M. and Parker, P. (2017). Effectiveness of vaginal breech birth training strategies: An integrative review of the literature. Birth, 44(2), pp. 101–109. doi:10.1111/birt.12280.
  12. Scamell, M., Altaweli, R. and McCourt, C. (2017). Sarah's birth. How the medicalisation of childbirth may be shaped in different settings: Vignette from a study of routine intervention in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Women and Birth, 30(1). doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2016.08.002.
  13. Walker, S., Scamell, M. and Parker, P. (2016). Principles of physiological breech birth practice: A Delphi study. Midwifery, 43, pp. 1–6. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2016.09.003.
  14. Scamell, M. (2016). The fear factor of risk - clinical governance and midwifery talk and practice in the UK. Midwifery, 38, pp. 14–20. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2016.02.010.
  15. Olander, E.K. and Scamell, M. (2016). Teaching students about maternal obesity without creating obesity stigma. Nurse Education Today, 42, pp. 59–61. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2016.04.009.
  16. Scamell, M. and Olander, E. (2016). Teaching about obesity: Caring, compassion, communication and courage in midwifery education. British Journal of Midwifery, 24(7), pp. 494–499. doi:10.12968/bjom.2016.24.7.494.
  17. Walker, S., Scamell, M. and Parker, P. (2016). Standards for maternity care professionals attending planned upright breech births: A Delphi study. Midwifery, 34, pp. 7–14. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2016.01.007.
  18. Scamell, M. (2014). ‘She can't come here!’ Ethics and the case of birth centre admission policy in the UK. Journal of Medical Ethics, 40(12), pp. 813–816. doi:10.1136/medethics-2013-101847.
  19. Scamell, M. (2014). Childbirth Within the Risk Society. Sociology Compass, 8(7), pp. 917–928. doi:10.1111/soc4.12077.
  20. Scamell, M. and Stewart, M. (2014). Time, risk and midwife practice: the vaginal examination. Health, Risk & Society, 16(1), pp. 84–100. doi:10.1080/13698575.2013.874549.
  21. Stewart, M., Scamell, M. and McFarlane, A. (2013). Professionals respond to GBS article. Practising Midwife, 16(9), pp. 8–9.
  22. Scamell, M., Macfarlane, A., McCourt, C., Rayment, J., Sunderland, J. and Stewart, M. (2013). NICE says caesarean section is not available on demand unless clinically indicated. BMJ, 347(jul30 5). doi:10.1136/bmj.f4649.
  23. Coxon, K., Scamell, M. and Alaszewski, A. (2012). Risk, pregnancy and childbirth: What do we currently know and what do we need to know? An editorial. Health, Risk & Society, 14(6), pp. 503–510. doi:10.1080/13698575.2012.709486.
  24. Scamell, M. and Alaszewski, A. (2012). Fateful moments and the categorisation of risk: Midwifery practice and the ever-narrowing window of normality during childbirth. Health, Risk & Society, 14(2), pp. 207–221. doi:10.1080/13698575.2012.661041.
  25. Scamell, M. (2011). The swan effect in midwifery talk and practice: a tension between normality and the language of risk. Sociology of Health & Illness, 33(7), pp. 987–1001. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2011.01366.x.

Poster

  1. Scamell, M. and Walker, S. The discourse of breech as a paradigm shift. Physiological Breech Promoting Normality Conference, 2014.

Professional activities

Clinical activity

  1. Link lecturer, Homerton Hospital

Editorial activity

  1. Midwifery; Health Risk and Society, Peer reviewer.

Events/conferences (5)

  1. Time Risk and midwifery practice. The case of the vaginal examination. (2014).
    Description: International Confederation of Midwives 2014 Conference.
  2. I can't bare it! Insider methodological dilemmas. (2012).
    Description: The Doctoral Midwifery Research Society - invited speaker.
  3. Risk society and 'the ever closing window of normality'. (2011).
    Description: UCLAN Normal Birth Conference - paper presentation
  4. 'If it isn't documented, you never done it' Midwifery work at the margins of risk. (2011).
    Description: BSA Med Soc Conference - paper presentation.
  5. The Swan Effect. In midwifery talk and practice. (2010).
    Description: British Sociology Association (BSA) Med Soc Conference - paper presentation.

Keynote lecture/speech

  1. Vaginal breech birth: shifting ideologies. (2011). Royal College of Midwives student conference (key note).