RCM announces date it will ballot members in England and Wales on industrial action
The RCM is urging all members working in the NHS in England and Wales to vote yes to industrial action over pay as it announces the date its official ballot will open. After members in both countries overwhelmingly rejected their governments’ below-inflation pay award, the statutory ballot for midwives and maternity support workers will open […]
Supporting women seeking care outside guidance
By Lia Brigante, Policy & Practice Advisor The notion of woman-centred care has been at the heart of RCM policy and at the core of maternity policy in the UK for decades. We know that personalised care is safer care, and that having choice and control improves clinical outcomes for women and their babies. Midwives […]
Vaccines during pregnancy: New animations
The IMPRINT network develops animations about vaccines for pregnant women around the world. It has just released two new animations about Group B Streptococcus (GBS) and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) to highlight the importance of these infections and explain how vaccines are being developed to protect infants. Clinical trials are taking place and we hope that, in the near […]
RCM recommends members vote YES to industrial action as ballot opens in Scotland
‘Stand by and get ready to vote on industrial action’ that’s the message from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in Scotland as it formally launches its ballot on industrial action today. The RCM is recommending that members vote yes to both strike action and action short of a strike and say they do not […]
NHS pension scheme contribution changes coming on 1 October
Changes to NHS pension contributions for NHS pension scheme members in England and Wales are coming in on 1 October. The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is encouraging its midwife and maternity support worker (MSW) members to find out how this will affect them. The Government wanted to implement these changes earlier but delayed after […]
New independent maternity working group to oversee Maternity Transformation Programme in England
A new independent maternity working group, one of the key Immediate and Essential Actions (IEAs) from the Ockenden review of maternity safety, has met for the first time. The group, which is co-chaired by Gill Walton, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), and Dr Eddie Morris, President of the Royal College of […]
RCM members in England and Wales to be balloted on industrial action over pay
RCM members working in the NHS in England and Wales are set to be formally balloted on industrial action over pay. This follows a consultation in which RCM members overwhelmingly rejected their governments’ pay awards of £1400 for most Agenda for Change NHS staff. The amount equates to a 4% increase for those at the […]
RCM announces date to ballot members in Scotland on industrial action
All RCM members working in the NHS in Scotland are set to be balloted on industrial action. A statutory ballot will launch on 29 September and run for four weeks until 27 October This follows an indicative survey of midwives, maternity support workers (MSWs) and maternity care assistants (MCAs) in which almost 90 percent of […]
RCM and RCOG cut through food in pregnancy myths in new guide for women
An easy and quick guide for women on healthy eating and vitamin supplements in pregnancy(has been published by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). The guide explains the benefits of health eating for women and their babies. It also addresses the myths around what you should […]
RCM activists secure staff mileage rate increase at Birmingham trust
As petrol prices and the cost of living remain high, RCM activists at Birmingham Women’s NHS Trust have gained an increased mileage rate allowance for staff. Community midwives and maternity support workers using their cars for work at the trust were seeing their income fall as they paid more for rising petrol prices. Yet they […]