From Evidence to Practice – The Pregnancy Journey
In the April instalment of the 2026 CO Research Trust Lecture Series, Adrian McConnell was joined by Hilary Wareing and Rachel Harrison from Improving Performance in Practice (iPiP) for a focused exploration of how evidence can be translated into meaningful, preventative action in maternity care.
This lecture, examined how sustained collaboration across organisations and disciplines has built a robust understanding of the risks of environmental carbon monoxide exposure to pregnant women and their babies and the associated impacts. Drawing on research evidence, professional expertise, and lived experience, the session demonstrated how this knowledge has informed practical interventions to identify risk and prevent harm.
The presentation focussed on turning evidence into sustainable, real-world practice. It highlighted progress to date, explored the challenges of scaling delivery, and considered what is needed to embed carbon monoxide prevention into routine maternity care. Attendees gained a clear vision of what effective, best-practice prevention looks like across the pregnancy journey.
Presenters
Hilary Wareing
The CO Research Trust has worked with Hilary, Managing Director of iPiP, since 2017. Her extensive experience across research, policy, and practice has helped shape progress in this field. With a background in health research, management, and clinical practice as a nurse, midwife, and health visitor, Hilary specialises in embedding evidence-based practice, improving organisational performance and culture, and leading public health initiatives, including smoking in pregnancy and system-wide improvement programmes.
Rachel Harrison
Before joining iPiP, Rachel was the Local Maternity Neonatal System (LMNS) Transformation Lead and a Public Health Midwife at UHCW. Her work in smoking cessation deepened her understanding of the risks associated with carbon monoxide exposure. Most recently, Rachel has led the development of learning modules for healthcare professionals, hosted on the NHS England e-learning platform, and has supported the UK Health Security Agency in developing and testing new guidance for midwifery staff.
The slides presented by Hilary and Rachel are available here.
You can view the lecture, in full, below: