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Octavia Wiseman

Research Fellow

School of Health Sciences Division of Midwifery and Radiography

Contact details

Address

Octavia Wiseman City, University of London
Northampton Square
London EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom

About

Overview

Octavia is a Research Fellow working with Professor Christine McCourt on two studies looking at group antenatal care, leading on the process evaluation for the NIHR-funded Research for Equitable Antenatal Care and Health (REACH) Pregnancy Circles Randomised Controlled Trial and country lead for the international Group Care in the First Thousand Days (GC_1000) implementation study. Octavia joined City in 2015 as a Research Assistant and also works clinically part-time in roles including caseloading, Consultant Midwife and parent education. Her Masters dissertation was a mixed-methods study looking at women's experiences of second degree perineal tears sustained during vaginal birth. Her other key interest is access to and experience of maternity care for migrant women and non-English speakers.

Octavia speaks Spanish, Portuguese and French. She leads on group care facilitation training and lectures on midwifery-led models of care, human rights in maternity care and migrant women and maternity care at City and elsewhere.

Octavia started her career studying English and Philosophy at the University of York before taking up a career in publishing. She retrained as a midwife in 2011 and completed an NIHR-funded MClinRes at King's College London in 2015.

Qualifications

  1. Masters in Clinical Research, King's College London, United Kingdom, Sep 2013 – Sep 2015
  2. BSc in Midwifery with registration as a Midwife, King's College London, United Kingdom, Oct 2008 – Sep 2011
  3. BA, University of York, United Kingdom, Oct 1983 – Jul 1986

Employment

  1. Research Fellow, City, University of London, Jul 2018 – present
  2. KCH/LEAP specialist midwife (secondment 0.2 FTE), Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP), Apr 2017 – Apr 2019
  3. Research Assistant (secondment 0.5 FTE), University of East London, Oct 2016 – Dec 2017
  4. Research Assistant, City, University of London, Sep 2015 – Jun 2018
  5. Community Midwife, King'sCollege Hospital, Oct 2011 – present

Award

  1. Royal Society of Medicine (2018) John Horder Award for a multi-disciplinary team
    The Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) multi-disciplinary Health Team was set up in April 2017 to address issues around communication and referral between the primary care team looking after women in Lambeth 'from conception to reception'. The team is comprised of a midwife from King's College Hospital (Octavia Wiseman), a midwife from St. Thomas' Hospital, a local GP and a local Health Visitor, all front-line practitioners seconded one day a week.

Languages

French (can read, speak and understand spoken), Portuguese (can understand spoken) and Spanish - Latin American (can read, write and speak).

Research

REACH Programme: Evaluation of Group Antenatal care

Publications

Publications by category

Journal articles (11)

  1. Wiggins, M., Sawtell, M., Wiseman, O., McCourt, C., Eldridge, S., Hunter, R. … Harden, A. (2020). Group antenatal care (Pregnancy Circles) for diverse and disadvantaged women: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial with integral process and economic evaluations. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1). doi:10.1186/s12913-020-05751-z.
  2. Wiseman, O. and Holland, S. (2019). Is caseloading sustainable?: 25-year history of caseloading at king’s college hospital. Practising Midwife, 22(8), pp. 20–25.
  3. Hunter, L.J., Da Motta, G., McCourt, C., Wiseman, O., Rayment, J.L., Haora, P. … Harden, A. (2019). Better together: A qualitative exploration of women’s perceptions and experiences of group antenatal care. Women and Birth, 32(4), pp. 336–345. doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2018.09.001.
  4. Wiseman, O., Rafferty, A.M., Stockley, J., Murrells, T. and Bick, D. (2019). Infection and wound breakdown in spontaneous second-degree perineal tears: An exploratory mixed methods study. Birth, 46(1), pp. 80–89. doi:10.1111/birt.12389.
  5. Wiggins, M., Sawtell, M., Wiseman, O., McCourt, C., Greenberg, L., Hunter, R. … Harden, A. (2018). Testing the effectiveness of REACH Pregnancy Circles group antenatal care: protocol for a randomised controlled pilot trial. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 4(1). doi:10.1186/s40814-018-0361-x.
  6. Hunter, L., Da Motta, G., McCourt, C., Wiseman, O., Rayment, J., Haora, P. … Harden, A. (2018). `It makes sense and it works': Maternity care providers' perspectives on the feasibility of a group antenatal care model (Pregnancy Circles). Midwifery, 66, pp. 56–63. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2018.07.016.
  7. Holland, S. and Wiseman, O. (2018). Is caseloading sustainable?: Lessons from the front line at King’s college hospital. Practising Midwife, 21(9), pp. 20–25.
  8. Wiseman, O., Hunter, L., Leap, N., Robinson, H. and Mackeith, N. (2017). Advancing practice facilitating group antenatal care: A new way of working. Practising Midwife, 20(9), pp. 18–20.
  9. Wiseman, O. (2013). Selfless angel or selfish cow? How we judge women's choices around motherhood. Essentially MIDIRS, 4(7), pp. 32–37.
  10. Wiseman, O. (2012). Neuroscience or neurobabble? How science informs parenting policy. Essentially MIDIRS, 3(7), pp. 17–22.
  11. Wiseman, O. (2011). Undocumented migrants and maternity care. British Journal of Midwifery, 19(1), pp. 38–42. doi:10.12968/bjom.2011.19.1.38.

Professional activities

Events/conferences (4)

  1. UNICEF Baby Friendly Conference. (Conference) Telford (2017).
    Paper: #KingsBrelfie: Using social media as a tool to celebrate breastfeeding mothers and babies in the UK
    Author: Godfrey-Evans L
    Co-authors: Spencer M, Khukarska W, Joseph J and Wiseman O
    Description: Also chosen as a poster presentation at the MaMa Conference 2018 (Glasgow)
  2. Royal College of Midwives Annual Conference. Manchester (2017).
    Paper: Pregnancy Circles: transforming care through community-based partnerships with women
    Author: Hunter L
    Co-authors: Wiseman O, Mehay A
  3. POSTER: Watson, K., Sandal, J., Wiseman, O. An analysis of reported 'death' and 'severe' obstetric and neonatal incidents from the United Kingdom NPSA National Reporting and Learning Systems (NRLS). Paris (BMJ - award winning) and Glasgow (2012).
    Description: International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare (BMJ, Paris) and British Maternal and Fetal Society Conference (Glasgow)
  4. POSTER: Wiseman, O. Falling through the cracks: do women whose babies stay in the neonatal unit receive adequate midwifery care? Manchester and London (2011).
    Description: Royal College of Midwives Annual Conference (Manchester) and Royal Society of Medicine trainee patient safety poster prize: Safer doctors, safer patients, improving care from the front line (London - shortlisted)

Online article

  1. Open Space. (2014). Poverty: Journal of the Child Poverty Action Group Vol 149 page 6