Life

Anne Hailes: Dame Mary Uprichard says Call the Midwife is accurate – and she should know

Anne Hailes

Anne Hailes

Anne is Northern Ireland's first lady of journalism, having worked in the media since she joined Ulster Television when she was 17. Her columns have been entertaining and informing Irish News readers for 25 years.

BBC period drama Call the Midwife 'brings back a lot of memories' says Dame Mary Uprichard
BBC period drama Call the Midwife 'brings back a lot of memories' says Dame Mary Uprichard BBC period drama Call the Midwife 'brings back a lot of memories' says Dame Mary Uprichard

“WHEN I was a student midwife and saw the miracle of my first birth, I said to myself, My God, how great Thou art”.

Dame Mary Uprichard is now over 80 but would love to start all over again, even though a modern nursing career has its difficulties.

“It’s not a job,” she says. “It’s a vocation and I am still in love with my profession. I used to say to my students, 'Yours is a privileged position never to be betrayed'.”

This is the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife and for the first time in history there will be a global celebration of the benefits that nursing and midwifery bring to the health of the population. Without doubt they have a vital role to play in our lives and for women giving birth and looking back on a positive experience, a caring midwife is essential – I know that myself.

Women who nurse those in need seem to have no difficulty in going the extra mile after their shift is over, some literally on their bikes. At a Ukulele Jam I met Michele Gordon and Mary Rose Scott who told me of their fundraising plan to cycle from Vietnam to Cambodia. Now they’ve completed the challenge and raised over £12,000 for the Northern Ireland Hospice.

Many people are realising the importance of these professionals with the programme Call The Midwife, the story of members of an Anglican religious order working out of a convent in the East End of London in the 50s and 60s. It draws record viewing figures and Mary Uprichard can identify with the women as her own history matches that of Jessica Raine who played midwife Jenny Lee in the early episodes.

Former Belfast midwife Dame Mary Uprichard
Former Belfast midwife Dame Mary Uprichard Former Belfast midwife Dame Mary Uprichard

:: A woman of faith

Mary’s original calling was into nursing but she was guided towards midwifery. In terms of her career path, she quotes the story of Moses, how the Pharaoh was concerned that the Israelites were becoming too numerous and powerful so he instructed the midwives to slay every first-born male. They didn’t carry out the command, instead explaining that women had given birth before they arrived.

“Our family GP was the late Dr Elizabeth Robb and her interest in my career was important," she tells me. "When I went to the Ulster Hospital for Children and Women, even at 17 I knew very definitely that God was directing me but it was the story of Moses that eventually led me into midwifery.

“I enjoyed the Ulster Hospital but there were sad times when you lost a child to ailments like kidney diseases. Children in for months with respiratory infections...

"I remember one little boy with severe rheumatoid arthritis who was about four when he was admitted and died when was around eight. There were none of the effective treatments that there are today.”

After nurse training in Edinburgh Mary became interested in midwifery and took up a post back home at the Royal Maternity. In 1965 she qualified as a midwife with a teaching diploma and was immediately out in the community coping with many challenging situations,

“North Queen Street was my first posting, going out with the district midwife to poor homes where conditions were difficult. I lost a lot of weight as I cycled to all four quarters of Belfast, hilly territory much like the television programme – it’s very accurate and some of the situations I can identify with my time in Belfast in the early 70s. The television programme brings back a lot of memories.”

One of those special memories was Mary's first unsupervised baby, born at 12.30pm in Turf Lodge on a bitter Christmas Day.

“The baby arrived before the doctor could get there so it was all down to me. What an experience!”

During her career Mary was director of Midwifery Education, for which she received a lifetime achievement award of her contribution to the development of midwifery nationally and internationally. She was first president of the UK Central Council and chairwoman of its Professional Conducts Committee, chairwoman of the National Board for Nursing and Midwifery NI, member of the EC Advisory Committee and vice-president of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).

In 1998 came the honour of becoming a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, which she accepted on behalf of all carers.

Since those early days, the developments in healthcare have been profound. We discuss the NHS situation.

“This is serious,” she says. “You never have been able to adequately resource the health service because of the demands, the expectation of the consumer and that brings about litigation which is costing the health service millions with little attempt at mediation.

"Finally I would say education is all important. For those who dare to practice and those who dare to teach, they must never cease to learn.

"Also the information and technological explosion, the major advances in scientific knowledge, the development of sophisticated equipment and machinery that enables surgery and medical treatment of the highest degree. The pace and profundity of change is going in the right direction but wages and conditions need to be addressed urgently.

"Then you have the development of consumerism; the ‘www’ has revolutionised the way patients can access information and the increased knowledge they gain has changed the doctor patient relationship.”

Her advice? “Consulting the internet is not necessarily a good thing –it can be frightening, so there’s always the need to discuss your situation with a professional.”

The Northern Ireland Science Festival

THIS week sees 180 events across more than 50 venues focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics with some of the best scientists from Northern Ireland and beyond to discuss their cutting-edge research and what the future might hold. A range of workshops, talks and interactive activities for young people, parents and schools and in the evenings scientific debate, theatres, comedy, music and films for adults.

:: Details at nisciencefestival.com