Why the new RCM Birth Conversations Toolkit can help women process birth trauma
Last week saw shocking fresh revelations in the Panorama programme about poor care in Nottingham. There can be no doubt that these experiences leave women traumatised, at risk of metal health problems and with fear in subsequent pregnancies. We also heard about the substantial increase in emergency caesarean sections in recent years, and again, unexpected, […]
Making Midwifery Continuity of Carer (MCoC) Work in Practice: An Implementation Science Approach
At the 34th ICM Triennial Congress, I will be presenting one of the workstreams from my PhD research which explores one of the ongoing questions in contemporary maternity care: how are Midwifery Continuity of Carer (MCoC) models implemented in practice, and what is needed to sustain them across maternity services in the United Kingdom (UK) […]
Holding the centre: how the Mary Seacole programme shaped my leadership in high-acuity maternity settings
About the Author Sharon Howard-Lee is a Delivery Suite Co-ordinator in a high-pressure London maternity service, known for calm, compassionate leadership and a values-driven approach to supporting teams. She is committed to safe, positive birth experiences and nurturing a strong, respectful team culture. Introduction When I began the Mary Seacole Programme, I believed I had […]
Standing Up for Racial Justice in Maternity Services
As Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the Royal College of Midwives, I was honoured to see the RCM move a powerful motion at the TUC Black Workers Conference addressing racial discrimination in maternity services. The conference coincided with Black Maternal Health Awareness Week, 20th April to 26 April 2026, a timely and important reminder that race inequality in maternity care is not […]
Support in the Storm
My first weeks as a Newly Qualified Midwife (NQM) on Labour Ward were better than I expected. I was excited to come into work, I trusted that I knew enough to get started, I trusted that I wouldn’t be asked to look after a high risk diabetic women on a VRI sliding scale with a […]
Maternity services in Wales: what the parties are promising
Election season always brings a flurry of promises and it’s our job at RCM Cymru to go through every manifesto carefully and ask: what does this actually mean for midwives, for maternity support workers and for the women and families they care for every day in Wales? One of the things that struck me most was how many parties […]
Reflecting on the RCM’s first Digital Symposium
Last week, the RCM hosted its first Digital Symposium, bringing together midwives, leaders, innovators, and digital specialist from across the four nations working in maternity services and digital leadership. The symposium explored how digital innovation is shaping the future of Maternity care and the wider global health. The day created space to reflect on implementation, […]
Black Maternal Health Week: Why maternal awareness must move beyond recognition of disparities to meaningful, sustained action
In the UK, despite clear policy commitments to personalised and equitable care, we are sad to see significant gaps in outcomes and experience of maternity care. Black and Brown women are still several times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth and are more likely to report poorer experiences of care. These inequalities are not simply clinical, nor are they a reflection on the strong […]
A Yiddishe Mama: insider-outsider reflection notes following a Shabbat stay with one of the most observant communities in the UK
About the Author Michal Rosie Meroz is a registered midwife in the UK and a dual-registered nurse-midwife in Israel, currently working as a senior research midwife in London, supporting UK and international RH&C studies. With over 20 years’ experience in healthcare, she has a particular interest in culturally sensitive, women-centred maternity care and out-of-hospital births. […]
Scottish election manifestos, where we’ve secured alignment for midwifery
Last week saw the final Scottish election manifestos published. As we move towards polling day, we are now writing to all candidates to make sure the voice of the midwifery community is clearly heard. Across the manifestos, there are significant commitments and some real potential wins. Taken together, they show that parties have listened to […]