Claire Parker-Farthing

Claire graduated as a midwife in 1997, and since then she has held a variety of roles in the UK and abroad.

Her work overseas began with the role of Midwife Tutor in Cambodia which she held for two years. She then went on to complete her Masters degree while working as a core midwife at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

This spurred her to return overseas, this time in Liberia, West Africa, where she held various midwifery posts for medical aid agencies such as Médecins Sans Frontières and Merlin.

Until 2022, she worked as Consultant Midwife for a large teaching hospital in the East of England. Prior to this, she has been both Ward Coordinator and then Matron for a high-risk intrapartum area, Ward Manager of a midwife-led birthing unit, Acting Matron for inpatient maternity services, and Community Midwife as part of a team/case loading system.

Claire has been a Senior Lecturer in Midwifery at ARU since 2022, and she is also an associate trainer with the 'Birthrights' organisation. She is undertaking an ARU-funded PhD titled 'A narrative inquiry study exploring women's experiences of decision making regarding cardiotocography use in labour', supervised by Dr Claire Hooks and Dr Amanda Wagg.

She has previously researched subjects such as caesarean section rates, the impact of misconceptions on the uptake of contraceptive use, and is now particularly interested in research on waterbirth, outside guidance care, and maternal mental health issues.

• MSc Population and Reproductive Health, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
• PG Cert Supervision of Midwifery, University of Hertfordshire
• BSc (Hons) Midwifery Studies, University of Greenwich
• Newborn Infant Physical Examination, Anglia Ruskin University
• PG Cert in Medical and Healthcare Education (commencing 2022)

Additional skills and associate or volunteer roles:

• Hypnobirthing Instructor
• Associate Trainer for the Birthrights charity
• Health Worker Ambassador, Save the Children
• Diploma in Reflexology

Member, Royal College of Midwives

Capatina, N., Parker-Farthing, C., Gillings, D., and Aiken, C. (2023) 'The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the birth experiences of women attending a postnatal discussion service in the UK', Reproductive, Female and Child Health. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/rfc2.33

Parker, C. (2001) 'What’s it like to work in… Cambodia?', The Practising Midwife, 4(8), pp. 36-38.

'Four things you need to know about having a caesarean section', The Conversation, 2 May 2023.

'Five things you can do to help you have a more positive birth experience', The Conversation, 28 June 2022.

ITV News feature showing MLBU in Essex discussing health workers in India, Save the Children campaign work, 10 May 2013.

Save the Children promotional video of India trip, as part of their No Child Born to Die campaign, 2013.

BBC Radio 4 Women’s Hour: Miriam talks to Annie Jones Demen, the Liberian Deputy Minister for Gender, Hilary Benn, Minister for International Development and Claire Parker, a reproductive health worker, 13 April 2007.