Using guidelines and evidence to support women to make fully informed choices
Using guidelines and evidence to support women to make fully informed choices The RCM’s Quality and Standards Advisor Rachel Drain discusses changes to NICE guidance and how using evidence to support women to make fully informed choices that are right for them is integral to the role of a midwife. Supporting women to make informed […]
MSW Journal Club: Social media in pregnancy
Our next journal club Live will be held on 20 September 2024, 11:00 – 12:00 on the topic of Social media in pregnancy. A very common theme currently under scrutiny within perinatal care is informed choice of birthing people and ensuring that this is safeguarded. For those of us who work in an intrapartum setting, the birth […]
Counting the cost
Heather Bower, the RCM’s Head of Midwifery Education, goes behind the headlines of the College’s State of UK Midwifery Student Finance Report and warns of potential, but avoidable, challenges for the future midwifery workforce There has been so much talk of a cost of living crisis over the past few years that it’s almost lost […]
Darzi’s dark cloud
RCM Public Affairs Adviser Stuart Bonar gives early analysis of Lord Darzi’s independent investigation of the NHS in England – and all our hopes for a future silver lining. Today’s report from Lord Darzi following his Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England makes for grim and sobering reading. The NHS surgeon and […]
Supporting the midwifery community in times of personal crisis
RCM Chief Executive Gill Walton likes a challenge – and this year she’s undertaking two coast-to-coast bike rides on behalf of Cavell, the charity for midwives, MSWs and MCAs in need. A midwife member, some time ago, told me how grateful she was that financial support from the RCM charity, Cavell, essentially saved her life. […]
Stop, look, listen
Understanding what works – and what doesn’t – is vital when we are trying to influence positive change in the workplace. And the best way to do that, says Northern Ireland National Officer Anne Wilson, is by going out and seeing it for yourself. As an organisation, the RCM prides itself on being ‘by midwives […]
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
By Lynne Galvin, Regional Head for the North of England on 21 August 2024 Midwifery Midwives Clinical practice The RCM’s North of England team has spent the past few weekends at Pride marches across the region. Lynne Galvin, the RCM’s Regional Head for the North of England, explains why it’s been so important Over the […]
MIDIRS Monthly – Reflections on my journey from a registered midwife to a PhD midwifery researcher
When I started out on my PhD journey, I didn’t realise the impact in would have on my views of midwifery and the incredible work that midwives strive to achieve every day. I’ll start from the beginning. I graduated from my Midwifery degree in 2016 and started my career journey in a large tertiary, city […]
Embracing advanced practice in midwifery
The RCM’s Director of Professional Midwifery, Fiona Gibb, says that, with the need for improved career pathways, the time for advanced practice in midwifery has come. Earlier this year, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) announced plans to develop additional regulation for advanced practice nurses and midwives. This is a significant step towards ensuring that […]
Partnership not punishment
When done well, regulation can be a force for good. It supports staff by providing structure and guidance to practice and it supports services in a similar way around delivery. It also helps build confidence among service users in those delivering care, and where it is being delivered. However, when done poorly, or inconsistently, it […]