communication corner: Access for all

In the UK, around one in seven people are neurodivergent, so how can we ensure that they are getting the best support? Ruby Handley-Stone is part of the team that created the RCM’s Neurodivergence Acceptance Toolkit The toolkit was created to help midwifery educators embed fair and equitable processes that ensure the needs of neurodivergent […]

Vaccinations in pregnancy – a little reassurance goes a long way

You may not be giving vaccinations but you will likely be asked about them. So how do you counsel and advise those in your care? With winter around the corner, midwives are under increasing pressure as they prepare for the seasonal vaccinations programme. On top of this, the new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine is […]

Employment advice – ECMs and flexible working

Being an early career midwife (ECM) might not be all plain sailing, but regional head for the north of England Lynne Galvin says the RCM is here to help Q: I’m newly qualified and want to work part-time due to caring responsibilities, but I’m finding my new workplace resistant to this and I feel a little […]

A different view

Ruth Lester, from upper limb difference charity Reach, discusses how to support parents of babies with visually different upper limbs at birth Congenital upper limb anomalies are rare conditions affecting 19.2 to 27.2 per 10,000 live births. The range of differences is very great – from simple accessory digits to complex presentations. The ability to detect […]

Refresher: RCM activists

There are more than 1,500 activists spread across 200 RCM branches in the UK. RCM branches are the hub of local activity for members, from social events to employment advice 1. What does ‘activist’ mean? An activist is a generic term for any member who holds an elected role at local level. This includes the statutory […]

Talking point – Counting the cost

UK midwifery students are struggling financially, with midwifery often being a second career and often being undertaken by those with financial and caring responsibilities. Finances are stretched to breaking point. The RCM has made student finance a key ask of the new Government with its Student Finance Report Dr Heather Bower RCM lead midwife for […]

Voice of a mother – having empathy

Student midwife Becca Wetherell experienced a miscarriage while on placement and says it will help her be a better midwife When you change career a little later in life, you get asked ‘Why?’ a lot. I’m a second-year student midwife at the University of Suffolk and I’m 36. My answer is usually that my pregnancy […]

Voice of a… student midwife

Nic Ferguson, a third-year at Edinburgh Napier University and chair of the Student Midwives Forum (SMF), spoke at the RCM conference in May I had the pleasure of speaking at the RCM conference on the topic of leadership in maternity services. As a student midwife, the opportunity to speak on a topic that is fundamental […]

Framework for success – career planning

Midwives, MSWs and senior managers are seeking out opportunities to enrich their careers and add value to the profession – as well as helping others to do the same. So often in maternity we focus on the challenges – feeling tired, overstretched and undervalued has left many of us losing sight of why we chose to […]

The RCM: by your side

The RCM is always striving to improve the working lives of its members, to amplify members’ voices and to build communities for a stronger, happier midwifery workforce – but what does that mean for you? When developing its new strategy, the RCM was determined for it to be more than just a glossy publication. It […]