BAPM Survey 2020 – What you told us...

Thank you very much to everyone that took part in our member survey In December 2020. The BAPM office and Executive Committee wanted to share a few of the key findings and outline some of the actions we are going to put in place in response to the suggestions received.

We asked "How satisfied are you with your BAPM membership?"

The average score was 7.5. (In 2016 we asked the same question and the average answer was 6.5 so we are going in the right direction!)

These are some nice things people said about BAPM:

• I always find BAPM leads very helpful and responsive.
• It has been great to become member and have access to webinars etc. during pandemic. Should have joined much earlier!
• Just a huge word of thanks and praise - I have observed BAPM flourish over the past 5-6 years, you have done amazingly well!
• Love the guidelines! Will help to have more to make standardised care.
• That we very much appreciate the work undertaken this year QI resources are amazing and response to COVID had been so helpful to so many.
• Your work and efforts are very much appreciated! I’m delighted to be a member.

We asked “Are there any other benefits you would like to see BAPM Offer in the future?”

There were lots of ideas given here that the BAPM office and Executive will review to see what additional things we can add to the membership package. Recurring themes in this area were more CPD resources and facilitating networking opportunities.

We asked “What would you like to see BAPM focus on in the next 3 years?”

All the information collected in the survey, as well as the notes from the focus groups, were shared with the BAPM Executive Committee and work is currently being undertaken to develop BAPM’s 3 year strategy. Recurring themes were perinatal team working, family integrated care, and greater support for LNU and SCU staff. The strategy will be shared for member consultation in Spring 2021.

We asked “Is there anything that would make you more satisfied with your BAPM membership?

All the answers to this question are being considered but a few themes emerged from the responses. 

1.“BAPM is not representative enough”

BAPM is a multidisciplinary organisation and everyone that works in perinatal care is welcome and valued as a member. The BAPM Executive Committee includes representatives from the North and South of England, Scotland, Wales and (until recently) Northern Ireland and we seek to include appropriate stakeholders from the devolved nations in the development of all frameworks.

In the past few years the BAPM office has actively tried to ensure that BAPM is not just seen as a medical organisation but one that supports the full multidisciplinary team in all neonatal settings. In 2017 nurses and allied health professionals made up 9% of BAPM Members, in 2021 they make up 16% of the membership.

The BAPM Constitution was recently updated so that anyone in any job role can apply to any position on the BAPM Executive Committee and we always seek to include trainees, nurses and other relevant specialisms on working groups as well as representatives from LNUs and SCUs.

In the future we will continue to communicate a message of inclusivity as well as take these additional actions:

• Continue to actively promote BAPM membership to categories of members that are currently under represented.
• Develop additional CPD resources that are relevant to categories of members that are currently under represented.
• Launch an enhanced website section for related neonatal specialties.
• Continue to build on the strong relationships we are developing with other perinatal organisations including those representing obstetricians and midwives.

 2.“It’s always the same people on BAPM groups and it’s not clear how to get involved.”

Approximately 140 people across specialties took part in BAPM working groups in 2020, the vast majority of these were new faces. Working groups are usually chaired by an Executive Committee member and the rest of the places are filled through an open application process with adverts placed in the monthly newsletter, on the website and on Twitter. We strongly encourage any members that are interested to apply – previous experience is not a prerequisite and the BAPM office is very happy to answer questions. We do get a lot of applications for every working group so if you get turned down it isn’t personal, please do volunteer again.

In the future to help support members applying to working groups, we will:

• Send out notifications about working groups through the networks as well as BAPM’s own channels.
• Develop supporting resources for members on applying to working groups.

See Full Survey Results.

Thank you for your ongoing support of BAPM. If there is anything you need from the BAPM Office or your fellow members at any time then please get in touch – you don’t have to wait for a survey to tell us what you think!