This October, I will be visiting Middlesex University to speak to 250 first, second and third year midwifery students. It is an invitation I welcome with gratitude and a strong sense of responsibility. These students are preparing to enter a profession where knowledge, compassion and the ability to listen can make a lasting difference to individuals and families.

The invitation came from a midwifery lecturer who heard me speak in Cambridge around eight months ago. My message stayed with her. Working with her colleagues, she has now arranged for me to address their students, explaining that the direct, hard hitting approach she heard is something they need to experience.

For a speaker, there is something particularly meaningful about being invited back through the recommendation of someone who remembers your message months later. It suggests that the conversation did not end when the presentation finished. Something continued to resonate, prompting reflection and, in this case, an opportunity to reach a new audience.

My hope is that the Middlesex visit will offer students space to think carefully about the people behind the care they will provide. Every person brings a history, a family, a set of beliefs and experiences that may not be immediately visible. Understanding those dimensions begins with curiosity, respect and a willingness to hear what someone is really saying.

A hard hitting message should have a clear purpose. For me, that purpose is to encourage reflection that leads to better conversations and more thoughtful care. Sometimes we need to be challenged before we recognise an assumption we have made or a question we have failed to ask. Delivered with care, that challenge can become an invitation to grow.

Speaking to students at different stages of their training makes this opportunity especially valuable. First year students are beginning to form their understanding of the profession. Those in their second and third years will bring developing knowledge and experience. I hope each group will find something relevant to their own journey and something worth discussing with their peers.

I also hope they will feel able to bring questions. Education becomes richer when people can explore an idea, test their understanding and consider another perspective. A presentation can open a door, but the conversations that follow often help people decide how they will apply what they have heard in their own practice.

Alongside preparing for the visit, I am giving attention to my website. The lecturer intends to share the address with students before I arrive, allowing them to learn more about me and approach the session with some context. That makes it important for the website to be clear, current and ready to welcome them.

A website is often the first introduction someone has to a speaker and their work. It should help visitors understand the message, explore relevant information and feel confident about the person they will meet. Completing the outstanding amendments is therefore part of preparing properly for this engagement and respecting the interest these students may bring.

It also matters to me that my connection with Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is presented positively and accurately. When I speak, I am conscious that audiences may form impressions of the organisations associated with my work. I want the website and the forthcoming visit to reflect that connection with care, professionalism and respect.

Representing that association well means being thoughtful about both the message and its presentation. The words we use, the information we share and the way we engage with others all contribute to trust. I want students visiting the website to encounter a clear introduction that supports a constructive conversation about healthcare, learning and the experience of receiving care.

As October approaches, I am looking forward to meeting the students and the colleagues who have made this visit possible. I am grateful to the lecturer whose experience in Cambridge led to this invitation. Her decision to bring the message to Middlesex gives me an opportunity to contribute to the learning of future healthcare professionals.

My ambition for the session is straightforward: that students leave with something they will remember and use. It might be a question they ask differently, an assumption they examine more closely or a renewed commitment to listening. If the visit helps them approach the people in their care with greater understanding, it will have served a worthwhile purpose. Their perspectives will enrich the discussion.

I look forward to sharing that conversation at Middlesex University and to making the most of this opportunity together.