RCM welcomes new standards for maternity care in Wales
“New standards for maternity must be the catalyst for safety improvements across all services in Wales.” That’s the message from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) as it welcomes Welsh Government plans to improve maternity services. The new Quality Statement on Maternity and Neonatal care and Perinatal Engagement Framework, unveiled by the Welsh Government today, […]
RCM reassured by Government’s acknowledgement of issues raised in preterm birth report
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is reassured that the Government has acknowledged the issues raised by the House of Lords Preterm Birth Committee report on Preterm birth: reducing risks and improving lives, particularly as the focus of this inquiry is on improving care for groups most at risk. The College says this is a […]
RCM Wales welcomes rollout of electronic health record and maternity app
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in Wales has welcomed an announcement from Welsh Government that electronic health records (EHR) and an app for maternity care will be introduced by March 2026. Maternity services can deliver safer care with the use of digital technology says the RCM as the EHR will enable pregnant women to […]
RCM welcomes long overdue pay award for members in Northern Ireland
A long overdue pay award has finally arrived for midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) in Northern Ireland. In a letter to Health and Social Care unions the Minister for Health Mike Nesbitt has confirmed that RCM members in Northern Ireland will receive a pay rise of 5.5%. The proposed pay award is on par […]
Government pay recommendation ‘not good enough’ says RCM
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has described the Government’s pay recommendation of 2.8% for 2025/26 as ‘not good enough’ and says it won’t meet the expectations of its hard-working members. Furthermore, moving the crucial structural negotiations which formed part of this year’s pay round into 2025/26 runs counter to the Government’s previous commitment of […]
Maternal care for pregnant migrant women needs radical improvement, says RCM
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is calling for migrant women to receive adequate language support, including translation services, and access to maternity care via multiple routes when they need it. The call comes as MBRRACE-UK published its State of the Nation report on the maternity care recent migrant women receive, which found that just […]
‘Urgent action needed to improve maternity outcomes for women and babies’
‘Maternal deaths linked to issues in pregnancy show just how desperately maternity services need more specialist midwives’ that’s the message from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) as it responds to analysis by the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London who reviewed data released between 2022 and 2024 from the National Patient […]
RCM statement on barring women in Afghanistan from midwifery education
The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has made no secret of its intention to remove women from civic life. Since returning to power in 2021, they have imposed more and greater restrictions on women and girls, from taking away girls’ rights to education to taking away the voices of women and girls, literally, by forbidding them […]
RCM warns that reality does not meet ambition for Scottish maternity services
The Royal College of Midwives has today responded to the Auditor General’s NHS in Scotland 2024 report with caution, acknowledging the recognition from Government that prevention is key but adding that urgent action is needed to make the ambitions a reality. In general, the RCM supports the Auditor General’s report, which states the Scottish Government […]
Not once in a generation change, but a change for generations to come: RCM urges Government to be ambitious in its 10-year plan
The Royal College of Midwives has urged the Government to be ambitious for maternity care, as it submits its response to the consultation on the NHS 10-year plan. This, says the College, is an opportunity to reshape maternity services in England for the better, both for the women and families that access them and for […]