ONS data shows live births and stillbirths increased in England and Wales in 2021
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on births in England and Wales shows live births increased in 2021, but the stillbirth rate also increased during the same period. The figures show there were 624,828 live births in England and Wales, and increase of 1.8 per cent compared to 2020. This is […]
Ockenden: what next?
By Sean O’Sullivan, Head of Health and Social Policy, RCM on 08 August 2022 NHS MSWs – Maternity Support Workers Safety Maternity Safety It is now over four months since the Ockenden report into maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust was published. On the day of its publication, Sajid Javid, the then […]
University of Leicester students set their sights on midwifery leadership
Students from the University of Leicester have their sights on leadership roles in midwifery following the completion of a four-year undergraduate master’s degree in MSci Midwifery with Leadership. Launched in 2018, the course is one of its kind in the UK, bringing midwifery and leadership together in its modules. The aim of the course is […]
World Breastfeeding Week: step up for breastfeeding
By Clare Livingstone, Professional Policy Advisor RCM on 02 August 2022 NHS MSWs – Maternity Support Workers World Breastfeeding Week Breastfeeding It’s World Breastfeeding Week 2022 – Step Up For Breastfeeding. From 1 August, we will focus on inequalities and food security and how the cost of living crisis is biting at the finances of households across […]
Women reluctant to breastfeed in public due to attitudes of general public
A study by researchers at Swansea University and Cardiff University show women are reluctant to breastfeed outside of their home because of the attitudes of the general public. 17,700 women were examined in the study, with many saying that the attitudes of strangers is having a direct impact on their ability to breastfeed in public. […]
RCM urges all members in England and Wales to take part in pay consultation
Today the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has launched this pay consultation of its members working in the NHS in England and Wales. The College wants to gauge how midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) feel about the pay award and what action they are willing to take as result of the below inflation pay […]
120 years of the Midwives Act in England and Wales
By Fiona Gibb, Head of Education RCM on 31 July 2022 NHS MSWs – Maternity Support Workers NHS Unions Trade Unions Covid-19 31 July 2022 marks the 120 anniversary of the 1902 Midwives Act. The Act has been credited as the first formal recognition and development of professional midwifery. Of course, midwifery is one of […]
Midwives welcome drop in smoking rate among pregnant women
‘Reducing smoking in pregnancy is a key driver in reducing stillbirth rates’ says the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) as it welcomes new figures from NHS England that show a reduction in smoking among pregnant women. The latest figures show midwives and other smoking cessation NHS staff have helped almost 15,000 mums quit smoking over […]
Want to make a difference when it comes to pay?
By Alice Sorby, Director Employment Relations on 26 July 2022 NHS MSWs – Maternity Support Workers NHS Unions Trade Unions Covid-19 Trade unions are rarely out of the news at the moment. Across the public and private sector union members are saying they have had enough. Had enough of being worse off, working harder and […]
The government must invest in England’s maternity services, says RCM
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is calling on the Government to urgently act to stop England’s maternity services from “spiralling into an ever-worsening crisis”. The call for the Government to act has come shortly after the publication of the Health and Social Care Select Committee Expert Panel’s report, of which the union provided evidence for. […]