Clinicians in the classroom: the consultant anaesthetist

In 2013–14, 166 081 babies born in England—accounting for 26.2% of all births in the country—were born by caesarean section (Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), 2015). Epidural or caudal anaesthesia was required in 16.4% of births, while spinal anaesthetics were used in 15.1% of births (HSCIC, 2015). Support from obstetric anaesthesia services is also required in obstetric emergencies such as postpartum haemorrhage and eclampsia. Modern maternity services require a multi-professional approach to providing high-quality care, and it is therefore important that pre-registration midwifery education prepares student midwives to work in such an environment. This is the fourth in a series of articles exploring the value of expert clinicians’ participation in teaching pre-registration midwifery students in the classroom setting. This article will consider sessions at the University of Northampton facilitated by Dr Kalpna Gupta, consultant anaesthetist at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust.