Creating a bond
More than one in five women and birthing people will face a mental health challenge during pregnancy and after birth, according to the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, and suicide continues to be a leading cause of death for women between six weeks and one year after giving birth. That’s why perinatal mental health specialists in maternity […]
Joined-up working
“As a profession, we’re entrenched in writing longhand notes – that’s why midwives love a free pen,” says Zoe Meneilly, deputy head of midwifery at the South Eastern Trust and chair of the expert working group for the Encompass digital platform. In November 2023, the South Eastern Trust was the first to go live with the […]
“If you want change for the members you represent, you can’t stay on the sidelines”
An RCM member came to me because she had quite a bit of time off sick and she faced possibly losing her job and her livelihood. I said: “I really need you to be honest with me and tell me what’s going on, otherwise it makes it difficult for me to build a defence and […]
Learning to thrive
What do learning representatives do and why are they needed? Kate Shinkwin, RCM learning rep for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, explains. The midwifery profession involves lifelong learning and professional development. A learning representative supports this by identifying learning or training needs and helping members to access these, as well as negotiating with employers […]
Glimmers of hope
In May, the RCM surveyed final-year student midwives on their confidence in finding post-qualification employment as a midwife. More than eight out of 10 student midwives said that they were ‘not confident’ they would find a job once graduating, despite maternity services across the UK struggling with understaffing. Funding cuts and recruitment freezes are to blame, […]
Be the change you want to see
Historically, the advancement and practice of medicine has been the sole preserve of white men. Consequently, much of the knowledge we have today is ingrained with unconscious bias about women and people of colour. So where does that leave maternity care? In teaching this knowledge, are we also continuing to pass on these outdated attitudes […]
Leading with purpose
Jessica Giblin Senior community midwife, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust I was 18 months into my new role and hadn’t done any formal leadership training before when the Trust put me forward. The [Band 7 Syndeo] programme ran over several months, with three face-to-face sessions, two online sessions and lots of self-directed learning. As part […]
Mwy na geiriau
Using the Welsh language in maternity services can transform birth experiences, bringing wellbeing and satisfaction for midwives, maternity care assistants, maternity support workers (MSWs) and those they care for. In Welsh maternity services, there’s a strong emphasis on providing care in the language of the service user’s choice, with Cymraeg actively offered. Research shows that […]
Advertorial: The Generation Study
The Generation Study is a ground-breaking research study sequencing the genomes of 100,000 newborn babies to help understand whether we can improve the diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic conditions. The study is being run by Genomics England in partnership with the NHS in England. The study has three main aims: Identifying rare conditions in babies […]
Stand out Speak up – RCM conference 2025
Join us at the RCM conference and exhibition 2025 for a dynamic and joyful celebration of our midwifery community in action The RCM conference is the event of the midwifery and maternity calendar. Around 1,500 midwives, student midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) – as well as the wider professional maternity community, policy-makers, commissioners, researchers […]