Applications sought for 3 positions on the UKOSS Steering Committee

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Applications sought for 3 positions on the UKOSS Steering Committee: Obstetric Physician and Representatives for Wales and Northern Ireland (anaesthetist, midwife or obstetrician currently working for NHS Wales or HSC Northern Ireland)

The UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) is a joint initiative between the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. The UKOSS Steering Committee currently has vacancies for three positions: Obstetric Physician and Representatives for Wales and Northern Ireland (anaesthetist, midwife or obstetrician currently working for NHS Wales or HSC Northern Ireland.

UKOSS was launched in February 2005 and is designed to be used to study a range of uncommon conditions in pregnancy. It is supported by the Royal College of Midwives, the Obstetric Anaesthetists Association, the NCT, the Faculty of Public Health and Public Health England. Currently, all 194 consultant-led maternity units in the UK contribute to UKOSS and the system has been extremely successful in collecting information on women with rare disorders of pregnancy (conditions with an estimated incidence of less than one in 2000 births). UKOSS facilitates the study of the incidence, management and outcomes of such conditions and thus contributes to vital improvements in maternity care. More information on UKOSS can be found at www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/ukoss.

The UKOSS Steering Committee is multi-disciplinary and meets three times a year. Its main responsibilities are to consider applications for new studies on the UKOSS programme and to monitor the progress of ongoing studies. Membership is not remunerated but meetings may be considered as part of continuing professional development.

Applications for professional members will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

Essential:

• Evidence of contribution to UKOSS at a local level: for example, co-ordinating UKOSS reporting at a local level, returning monthly reports and completing data collection forms
• Evidence of forging links within and without one's own professional group and with wider multi-disciplinary teams

Desirable:

• Evidence of interest in UKOSS: for example, proposing new topic areas, making study applications and/or using UKOSS data in presentations or publications
• Research, audit and confidential enquiry or clinical governance experience in obstetrics/maternity care
• Experience of committee work (local or national)

If you would like to apply, please submit a two page CV and a short covering letter stating which position you are interested in and why you would like to undertake the role to UKOSS at ukoss@npeu.ox.ac.uk. The deadline for applications is 1st September 2022.

For an informal discussion about the positions, please contact Melanie O'Connor, UKOSS Programme Manager melanie.oconnor@npeu.ox.ac.uk) or Marian Knight, UKOSS Chief Investigator (marian.knight@npeu.ox.ac.uk).

Rhiannon D'Arcy has been a member of the Committee since 2018 and had this to say about the role:

I have really enjoyed my time on the UKOSS Steering Committee so far – everyone is friendly and it is a wonderful opportunity to work collaboratively with people from all over the UK. I cannot think of a single Steering Committee meeting where I have not learnt something that has improved my clinical practice or my understanding of research. In addition to this, UKOSS has generated such a wealth of information since it stated and really makes a difference to the standard of care that we can provide for pregnant women. It feels incredibly rewarding to have the chance to contribute to this - I would highly recommend applying!