LECTURES & SOCIAL EVENTS
Programme: 186th Session, 2025-2026
President - Professor Andrew Weeks
We are pleased to announce our presidential programme for the 186th Session, entitled 'Bringing Life'.
The timings are a little different this year with the lecture taking place from 6-7pm, followed by drinks for LMI members from 7-8pm.
LMI members can book by emailing admin@lmi.org.uk or by phoning (0151) 709 9125. Non-members should book using the Eventbrite links (to follow). Everyone is welcome and there is no charge for these events.
This year there will also a free livestream available to watch remotely via Zoom. You need to register in advance for this, the links for the lectures up until Christmas can be found below.
Details of the lectures can be found below. The programme is still being finalised, so please check back for updates.
Details of our Retired Members' Group talks can be found lower down the page.
Major changes are taking place in maternity care across the UK. Over the last decades we have seen gradual changes as those getting pregnant have changed leading to increased rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and stillbirth. But changes in society have also meant that women have also become more educated with more access to high (and low) quality information with which to make their own decisions. These changes, combined with important legal developments, mean that women should be very much in charge of their own births. And yet, several maternity scandals and reports from the Care Quality Commission have shown that this cultural change has not always happened. Legal payouts are at a record high and in hospitals many maternity staff feel unsupported and victimised.
These factors have come together over the last 5 years in a perfect storm where maternal choice, coupled with fear and distrust in the system, have led to escalating levels of labour induction, caesarean section and ‘free birth’. A national conversation is needed into where maternity care in the UK is going.
How can we improve outcomes for women and their babies whilst at the same time providing safe, compassionate, empowering care? This lecture series, streamed live from the iconic Liverpool Medical Institution, will explore birth in the UK: current perspectives as well as visions for the future by leading maternity practitioners, campaigners and experts.
Date | Speaker | Title | Live webinar link | Link to Eventbrite - more details & book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Thursday 18th September 2025 | Professor Andrew Weeks, Professor of International Maternal Health, University of Liverpool. | Maternity care in the UK - how did we get to this? | https://liverpool-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qEHjgpRKTzykYoFKo4KaVw | https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lmi-lecture-professor-andrew-weeks-maternity-care-in-the-uk-tickets-1634403949209?aff=oddtdtcreator |
Thursday 25th September 2025 | Professor James Drife, Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Leeds | A history of British maternity care | https://liverpool-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uK1mN_Q4QpqiyQptSn0dKg | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1634643024289?aff=oddtdtcreator |
Thursday 16th October 2025 | Captain John Hutchinson, retired British Airways Concorde pilot | Flying Concorde – a view from the cockpit | https://liverpool-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kfvCB7AHSEyKTjbbwZKTDQ | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1672799711969?aff=oddtdtcreator |
Friday 17th October 2025 | Ms Leah Hazard, midwife and bestselling author | The highs and lows of frontline midwifery | https://liverpool-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NR7SZDx0Sd68CdxSLMcxAg | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1672884415319?aff=oddtdtcreator |
Tuesday 4th November 2025 | Mr John Martin, comedian | "I want to be a Comedian, Mr Tarbuck" | https://liverpool-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KC0S-MU-QUGd4xVn4HPOLQ | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1672981114549?aff=oddtdtcreator |
Wednesday 19th November 2025 | Professor Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists | What 3 years in the hot seat has taught me about leadership | https://liverpool-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uLDi6nWrSGmQXovLcdR6wg | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1673065186009?aff=oddtdtcreator |
Thursday 27th November 2025 | Professor Catriona Waitt, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Global Health, University of Liverpool | The extraordinary world of breastmilk | https://liverpool-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_V5DKOmj4TQCBg6dgxvRLyg | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1673985779529?aff=oddtdtcreator |
Wednesday 10th December 2025 | Sheelagh McGuinness | Whose baby is it anyway? An exploration of the legality and philosophy of birth | https://liverpool-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1NK5MvjgS7SmHUuqB9iwKA | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1674268224329?aff=oddtdtcreator |
Tuesday 13th January 2026 | Alex Heazell | Fear and hope : a complex relationship with birth | ||
Thursday 22nd January 2026 | Susie Crowe | The clinical benefits of compassionate care | ||
TBA | Zarko Alfirevic | Evidence based medicine - can we trust the evidence? | ||
Thursday 5th February 2026 | Benjamin Black | What is good maternity care in a humanitarian crisis? | ||
Monday 9th February 2026 | Abi Merriel | Antenatal education classes: the key to unlock the maternity crisis? | ||
Thursday 19th February 2026 | Clea Harmer | What does good birth look like from the neonatal unit? | ||
TBA | Dr Liz O'Grady | Professional standards | ||
Thursday 19th March 2026 | Soo Downe | Can the overuse of risk assessments actually increase risk in labour and birth? | ||
Thursday 2nd April 2026 | Jimmy Walker | What does 'good' look like for UK maternity services? A view from the maternity reviews. | ||
Thursday 23rd April 2026 | Geeta Nayar | How do we prevent birth trauma? | ||
Thursday 11th June 2026 | Carol Kingdon | A social history of academic midwifery in the UK | ||
Thursday 18th June 2026 | Indie Kaur | Is India ready for midwifery care? | ||
Thursday 2nd July 2026 | Tina Lavender | Strengthening midwifery globally |
Retired Members' Group Meetings
Talk: 12 noon
Lunch: 1pm (optional)
The meetings are open to all members of LMI, plus guests. A sandwich lunch and tea & coffee is available following the talk at approximately 1pm. The cost of the lunch is £15 per person and payment should be made on the day by cash or card. You are welcome to attend the free talk. Please email admin@lmi.org.uk to book, or phone 0151 709 9125, stating whether you would like to stay for lunch.
Tuesday 14th October 2025
Speaker: Professor Peter Davies
Title: My life in The Times
Since being appointed Consultant General Physician with a respiratory interest on April Fool's day 1988, Professor Davies has had over 70 letters published in The Times on a very wide range of issues; from not smoking to reading books, from the Royal Liverpool Golf Club to Crosby beach, from Cotswold living to assisted dying and more. His talk will not take the form of a formal lecture but will be fully interactive from the start. Points will be given for correct opinions and a prize awarded at the end, should he get there. By the end of the talk attendees will know exactly how to avoid getting published in any paper, let alone The Times.
Tuesday 11th November 2025
Speaker: Mr Ron Templeton
Title: Behind the Microscope: Life in the pathology labs in Liverpool in the 1950s and 60s.
"When the NHS was created in 1948 the NHS inherited a collection of old Victorian Buildings which were not fit for purpose. Besides the buildings the infrastructure was pretty archaic. This applied to Pathology. Working in Labs were very primitive indeed. Labs used methods invented in 1930s and were not automated. The NHS was ten years old when I started my career in the NHS at the Royal Liverpool Children Hospital Myrtle Street on 11th March 1959. At the time there were over 50 hospitals in Merseyside many had own path labs. These included those in the United Liverpool Hospitals, David Lewis Northern, The Royal Infirmary, The Royal Southern, ENT, Myrtle St Children's, Oxford Street Maternity, Catherine Street Women's and St Pauls Eye Hospital. The head office was in Rodney St. I worked in the sub group labs of Myrtle St, Oxford St Catherine St and ENT. What I am about to tell you may shock you or you may disbelieve me. Those of you who trained or worked in Liverpool at the time will probably know it all ready. I will also cover some aspects outside the lab and the social life in the 60s in Liverpool".