Shifting the Tides – Changing the Culture of Health and Safety in Maternity Care
As I reflect on my journey as a Health and Safety Representative, I can see how far I have come, even when the steps have felt small. Small changes can lead to powerful transformations, and health and safety roles create safer, more supportive environments. It’s not without its challenges, yet, through it all, I have […]
RCM Launches new Research and Development Strategy for 2025–2027
Research can sometimes feel like a foreign country, but it underpins everything that we, as midwives and maternity support workers, do as part of our everyday role. Research underpins good maternity care – understanding and reducing inequalities, improving outcomes, even improving the way we work as part of multidisciplinary teams, all rely on research. If […]
The bravery of RCM members, always shining through
RCM Chief Executive Gill Walton shares her reflections on our 2025 conference, and the meaning of bravery in maternity services and midwifery education RCM Conference is always a whirlwind. There’s so much going on and so many people to say hello to. It was good to have a bank holiday this time and good to […]
Proud to support members when things go wrong, equally proud to improve workplace conditions
On International Workers Memorial Day, RCM’s Director for Representation and Organising shares some of the most recent workplace wins and settlements secured for RCM members. In 2024 the RCM won a staggering £1.2 million in damages and settlements for RCM members through our comprehensive legal services. This figure is almost three times the previous year’s […]
Best of Brum
Newly-appointed organiser for the Midlands Jake Morris shares some insights into his new patch for RCM members joining us in Birmingham for our Conference. With a Brummie mum and as your newly-adopted Brum organiser, I’m delighted that the RCM conference is coming to Birmingham later this month. Alongside an amazing programme for everyone in and […]
Midwives: critical in every crisis – A call to action for International Day of the Midwife
The RCM’s Senior Organiser in the North of England, Rae Trotter, looks ahead to this year’s International Day of the Midwife and the key role midwives play in crisis situations across the world. As society navigates a world facing increasing challenges, from natural disasters to conflicts and the ongoing impact of climate change, the role […]
Space to think
With the partial eclipse visible across the UK recently, space has once again featured in the RCM leadership webinar series. Following the hugely successful webinar with NASA in 2024, the European Space Agency (ESA) took to our screens last month to present a session on the impact of communication, teamwork, culture and leadership from the […]
Sharing what we’ve learned: the European context
Last week, the RCM professional team attended the biennial European Congress on Intrapartum Care (ECIC) in Madrid. The event kicked off with a bold and urgent call to action from the Congress President and obstetrician Gerard Visser challenging delegates to address the rapidly rising rates of caesarean births. He warned that privatised care and defensive […]
Your voice has been heard loudly and clearly, as MPs debate maternity services
MPs gathered in Westminster last Tuesday (26 February) for a 90-minute debate on maternity services in England. We took full opportunity of the debate to amplify the voice of members through briefing MPs ahead of time – and that work paid off. We were name-checked multiple times, on issues like the need for more midwives […]
On the buses
There are some NHS Trusts which are neat and tidy and all pretty much on one site – and there are others, like mine, that have different sites spread over a wide geographical area. When you’ve got to move between sites, as many staff and patients do, having a reliable transport service is vital. At […]