June 1, 2023
BaBi Wakefield celebrates 1,000 recruits signing up to the world-leading research study
Born and Bred in Wakefield (BaBi Wakefield) is celebrating its 1,000th recruit signing up to the world-leading research study.
This is a significant milestone for the study, which celebrates its first anniversary this summer.
BaBi Wakefield’s 1,000th recruit is baby Orlaith who was born at Pinderfields Hospital in May.
Orlaith’s mum, Jodie said: “It feels surreal to know that Orlaith is BaBi’s 1,000th recruit. We never expected to be such a monumental number for the research project!
“I decided to sign up to BaBi because I was born in Wakefield and I wanted to be a part of shaping local services for my daughter and her children in the future.”
The aim of BaBi Wakefield is to link data across health, education and social care to create a bigger picture of families’ lives.
The study has been collecting routine data recorded from the services used by consenting parents-to-be and their babies since last year.
Routine recorded data includes lots of different things, such as blood pressure measurements during ante-natal appointments, or the details of baby’s height and weight recorded by health visitors.
The BaBi concept began in Bradford, where it is part of the world leading Born in Bradford research programme. The findings of the research have led to a number of local and international changes and improvements.
Judith Holliday, Head of Research at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust said: “It’s really exciting to see so many people across Wakefield District and Kirklees signing up to BaBi Wakefield.
“By getting involved in research, every person who signs up is playing a key part in improving the health and wellbeing of families living in our area.”
Dawn Athorn Wright, Senior Research Midwife at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust said: “BaBi Wakefield is an incredibly important study that is helping to address the inequalities and priorities affecting the population of our area by working directly with the people who live here.
“We want to say a massive thank you to our midwives, staff, partner organisations and most importantly, the mums and babies who signed up, for helping us reach this milestone. This is a fantastic achievement made possible by every single person who has supported the study so far.”
Anyone living in Wakefield District or Kirklees who is receiving maternity care at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust can sign up to the study.
More information about BaBi Wakefield is available on the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust website: www.midyorks.nhs.uk/babi
