Ms Fiona Cross-Sudworth MSc, BSc (Hons), RM (Dip), RGN

Institute of Applied Health Research
Research Fellow

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)121 415 8182
Email: f.cross-sudworth@bham.ac.uk
Twitter: @FSudworth

Address: Murray Learning Centre
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Fiona is a Research Fellow for the Applied Research Collaborative (West Midlands) in the Maternity Theme. She is particularly interested in postnatal care, ethnicity and perinatal and maternal morbidity. She has previously worked on the evaluation of the Birmingham and Solihull United Maternity and Partnership (BUMP) implementation of the Better Birth (2016) recommendations and also more recently on the FGM Sister Study.

Fiona’s background is in midwifery and her experience covers a variety of roles including hospital and community midwifery, research and project management (including at the West Midlands Perinatal Institute), and was team leader of a dedicated homebirth team.

Qualifications

2008 MSc in Women’s Health (Distinction) - Birmingham City University
1994 BSc in Midwifery (2:1) - University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
1993 RM (Diploma) - South Wales Institute of Nursing & Midwifery Education, Cardiff
1990 RGN -South Wales Institute of Nursing & Midwifery Education, Cardiff

Biography

Having completed her RGN, RM and B.Sc in Midwifery in Cardiff, Fiona has had a variety of midwifery roles both clinical and project or research-based including a placement in rural North Africa.

When working at the West Midlands Perinatal Institute, Fiona co-ordinated regional confidential enquiries into perinatal deaths and later led a team developing a web application to standardise Trusts’ in-house reviews of adverse outcomes which obtained a Health Service Journal Award. In 2013 she returned to clinical midwifery practice at Birmingham Women’s Hospital and later took on the role of homebirth team leader during a pilot project to increase the number of homebirths at the Trust.

Since moving to the University of Birmingham in 2017, Fiona has been involved in various research studies concerning maternity services including induction of labour and postnatal care as well as Female Genital Mutilation services. She is currently a midwife reviewer for MBRRACE confidential enquiry panels.

Research

Fiona’s research experience has been mainly concerned with qualitative methodologies including using Q methodology to investigate maternity experiences of women of Pakistani origin, conducting interviews and focus groups, and undertaking casenote reviews. She has also been involved in clinical audit, gap analysis, quality improvement and care reviews as well as has set up systems for clinical data collection.

Research groups and Centres

Institute of Applied Health Research
Children Maternity and Lifestyles Team

Other activities

MBRRACE midwife reviewer for Confidential Enquiry panels
RCM member

Publications

Jones L, Costello B, Danks E, Jolly K, Cross-Sudworth F, et al (2022) Preferences for deinfibulation (opening) surgery and female genital mutilation service provision: a UK qualitative study. British Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology; 00:1-10 DOI: 10.1111/1471- 0528.17358
Cosstick E, Nirmal R, Cross-Sudworth F, Knight M, Kenyon S (2022) The role of social risk factors and engagement with maternity services in ethnic disparities in maternal mortality: a retrospective case note review. EClinical Medicine. 52:101587. doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101587.
Taylor B, Hewison A, Cross-Sudworth F, Morrell K (2022). "System transformation in maternity services in England: a longitudinal qualitative study of a national transformation programme Early Adopter" BMC Health Services Research. 22:57. doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-07375-3.
Knight M, Bunch K, Vousden N, Banerjee A, Cox P, Cross-Sudworth F, Dhanjal MK, Douglas J, Girling J, Kenyon S, Kotnis R, Patel R, Shakespeare J, Tuffnell D, Wilkinson M, Kurinczuk JJ on behalf of MBRRACE-UK (2021). “A national cohort study and confidential enquiry to investigate ethnic disparities in maternal mortality”. EClinical Medicine. 43:101237. doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101237.
Cross-Sudworth F, Knight M, Goodwin L, Kenyon S (2019) Systematic exploration of the number and quality of local reviews of the care of maternal deaths in the UK and Ireland between 2012- 2014: a case note review study. BMJ Open. 9:e029552. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029552.
Taylor B, Cross-Sudworth F, Goodwin L, Kenyon S, McArthur C (2019) Midwives’ perspectives of continuity based working in the UK: A cross-sectional survey. Midwifery. 75: 127-137.
Cross-Sudworth F, Hindley J, Cheatham C, Clarke P, McAree T (2018) Creating a dedicated homebirth service: results of a 3 year pilot. British Journal of Midwifery. 26(3) 164-170.
Kenyon S, Cross-Sudworth F, Keegan C, Johnston T, A on behalf of MBRRACE-UK (2017) Local review of intrapartum-related death. In (Eds.) Draper ES, Kurinczuk JJ, Kenyon S on behalf of MBRRACE-UK. Perinatal Confidential Enquiry: Term, singleton, intrapartum stillbirth and intrapartum-related neonatal death. The Infant Mortality and Morbidity Studies, Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester: Leicester. (pp.67-72).
Murray-Davis B, McDonald H, Cross-Sudworth F et al (2016) “Implementation of an interprofessional team review of adverse events in obstetrics using a standardized computer tool: A mixed methods study” Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Canada. 38(2) 168-176.
Cross-Sudworth F, Williamson A, Gardosi J (2015) “Perinatal deaths of migrant mothers: adverse outcomes from unrecognized risks and substandard care factors” British Journal of Midwifery. 23(10) 734-740.
Cross-Sudworth F, Williamson A, Gardosi J (2015) “Community midwifery care and social care pathways” Evidence Based Midwifery. 13(1) 15-21.
Murray-Davis B, McDonald H, Cross-Sudworth F et al (2015) Learning from Adverse Events in Obstetrics: Is a Standardized Computer Tool an Effective Strategy for Root Cause Analysis? Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. 37(8):728–735.
F Cross-Sudworth, A Williams, S Herron-Marx (2011) “Maternity services in multi-cultural Britain: Using Q methodology to explore the views of first- and second-generation women of Pakistani origin” Midwifery. 27: 458–468.
Cross-Sudworth F (2009) “Ethnicity and domestic abuse: issues for midwives” British Journal of Midwifery. 17(4) 212-215.
Cross-Sudworth F (2007) “Racism and discrimination in maternity services” British Journal of Midwifery. 15(6) 327-331.
Cross-Sudworth F (2007) “Linkworkers: a Cinderella service?” Midwives. 10(7) 325-327.
Cross-Sudworth F (2007) “Effects of Ramadan fasting on pregnancy” British Journal of Midwifery. 15(2) 79-81.
Cross-Sudworth F (2006) “Infertility issues for South Asian women” Diversity in Health and Social Care. 3(4) 281-287.