Maternity services are highlighted as an area of special concern in CQC report
By Tara Kaufman, Policy Advisor, Royal College of Midwives on 21 October 2022 Maternity Services Midwifery Workforce MSWs – Maternity Support Workers Safety Staffing Levels The CQC’s annual report on the state of healthcare in England published today doesn’t pull its punches: “The… system is gridlocked” is its grim opening. It goes on to paint […]
Working to reduce baby loss and improve bereavement care
By Heather Bower, RCM Professional Advisor, Midwife on 11 October 2022 Midwives MSWs – Maternity Support Workers Bereavement Care Child Mortality Infant Mortality Miscarriage Neonatal Death Safe Sleep Sands Stillbirth Specialist Midwives The loss of a baby is devastating for every family experiencing such a loss. It is also traumatic for midwives, MSWs and other […]
Caring for pregnant with pre-existing and gestational diabetes
By Lisa Grant, specialist diabetes midwife Cwm Taf Morganwg, Wales MSWs – Maternity Support Workers Safety Maternity Safety Diabetes Wellbeing Of Women Women To coincide with the Caring for pregnant with pre-existing and gestational diabetes guidance launch, specialist diabetes midwife Lisa Grant shares her experience of supporting women in maternity care. I always enjoyed acute […]
Chancellor’s plans: a threat not a help to the NHS
By Stuart Bonar Public Affairs Advisor Maternity Safety Politics Government Before disappearing off to their party conferences, politicians have been back at Westminster for a couple of days, frantically making announcements in the little time they have. RCM Public Affairs Advisor Stuart Bonar shares what recent announcements at Westminster means for RCM members and wider […]
How to stand up for high standards
Standing up for high standards, can sometimes mean speaking out on culture and practices around you, speaking truth to power and sometimes making yourself unpopular. As a member of a trade union, we know it is important for individuals to be heard and collective action to take place. Speaking out for positive change is the […]
Asymptomatic testing
By Director of Employment Relations Alice Sorby on 31 August 2022 NHS MSWs – Maternity Support Workers Safety Maternity Safety Covid-19 covid-19 Following the Government’s announcement to pause asymptomatic testing for COVID, RCM Director of Employment Relations Alice Sorby shares the RCM position along with workplace support and the employer’s legal duty to your health, […]
Inclusive language in maternity care to address inequalities
On 11 August 2022 NHS MSWs – Maternity Support Workers Safety Maternity Safety Equality and Diversity LGBT Maternity services should be welcoming and accessible to all those who need them – and all those who work in them. Over recent months, the RCM has been developing its position on inclusion, to ensure that the language […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]