Midwives refusing the vaccine, Spiking inquiry, 50 years of diet & fitness with Rosemary Conley, Slam poetry

A midwife from a maternity unit tells us why she and over thirty of her colleagues are refusing to have the Covid jab. They will all lose their jobs when the Government’s vaccine mandate for NHS staff comes into force on April 1st, putting the unit at risk, and leaving pregnant women wondering what it means for them and their babies. We also hear from the Royal College of Nursing who want the Government to pause the vaccine mandate for NHS staff immediately because of the threat to an already understaffed NHS. And we speak to Professor Ian Jones, a Virologist at the University of Reading about the science of infection and transmission, and the impact on the NHS workforce and their patients. Diet and fitness expert Rosemary Conley CBE celebrates fifty years of keeping Leicestershire - and the rest of the country - fit. Rosemary was 25-years-old when she held her first class in a local village hall in 1972. Since then, she's written 36 books, presented dozens of fitness videos and continues to run classes in the county. She joins Anita to talk about the changes she's seen when it comes to women's diet and fitness and what we all can do to keep ourselves healthy. This week doyenne of the slam poetry and performance scene Joelle Taylor won the TS Eliot Poetry Prize. Fellow poet and slam champion Kat Francois explains why it matters and why women should give slam a try. The House of Commons' Home Affairs Committee is exploring the scale of the problem of spiking in nightclubs, pubs. festivals and house parties. Zara Owen, a student at Nottingham University who believes she was spiked with a needle last October while on a night out with friends, and Dawn Dines, the founder of Stamp Out Spiking UK both gave evidence to the committee this week. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

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Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.