Voice of a… mother
Cath Riley lives with a very rare sight condition – this resulted in her first maternity experience being fraught with problems Because I look ‘normal’ and don’t use a cane or a guide dog, people don’t instantly know I have a genetic, degenerative sight condition that will one day make me blind. Having KCNV2 means […]
Employment advice: On call
Lynne Galvin, RCM regional officer for north of England, discusses what happens when an employer changes ‘on call’ procedures Q: My employer expects us to be on call at busy times, even if it is during time off – what can we do? A: The RCM has a similar ongoing case, so it might be […]
Voice of a… midwife, RCM mentee and patient safety lead
The RCM-supported Turning the Tide mentoring platform gave midwife Mary Showunmi the encouragement and tools to progress her career I’m lucky, at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust where I work, that we’re given equal opportunities and are actively working towards closing any gaps. I wasn’t aware of the mentoring platform until I joined the […]
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 […]
Voice of a… bereavement midwife
Racheal Crane, from James Paget University Hospitals NHS Trust, recently won the Archie Bereavement Professional Award at the Mariposa Awards Empathy is everything in a healthcare role. It has been 10 years since I lost my little boy, Max. At that point I was doing voluntary breastfeeding support at the hospital and, when I lost him, I […]
Communication Corner: Every word counts
Make Birth Better studied the effects of language on psychological safety in maternity and offers some positive things to try “Most of birth trauma stems from poor communication,” says Laura-Rose Thorogood, CEO at Make Birth Better, an organisation dedicated to removing trauma from maternity and supporting professionals to give trauma-informed care. “In our ‘Every Word […]
Perinatal care: the ripple effect
According to The Lancet, one of the best investments in public health is maternity. The right care in the perinatal period can change the health trajectory of entire generations Good midwifery care is the front door of the NHS for hundreds of thousands of women, many of whom won’t have had much experience of the […]
Thank you: RSV vaccination rollout
Midwives are often asked about vaccines during pregnancy, and the information and advice they impart makes all the difference, says Greta Hayward, consultant midwife at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) The year-round respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme for pregnant women, aimed at protecting infants, was launched in Scotland in August 2024, and in […]
Lost in translation
Translation services need to be seen as a critical part of maternity care. If English isn’t the first language of the woman in front of you (and for five million people in the UK, that could well be the case), how do you put her at ease, understand her needs, give her medical information and reach […]
Painting a picture of the care women need
How do you get a realistic image of the person in front of you? How can you avoid making assumptions and learn to listen to what they need? It’s the antenatal booking appointment. The woman in front of you is within the first 10 weeks of her pregnancy. You discuss her health, her marital status, whether this […]