NSPCC and MMHA calls for more maternal mental health support in Wales

The NSPCC Cymru/Wales and the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) are calling for more maternal mental health support for mothers in the country as the only maternal mental health specialist unit celebrates its one-year anniversary. Uned Gobaith (Unit of Hope) Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) near Neath, that provides specialist inpatient care to mothers who […]

Calling members to ask MPs to sign Early Day Motion 199 on NHS pay

Today the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) calls on its members, midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) along with students and general public to support the pay campaign, contact their local MPs and ask them to sign Early Day Motion (EDM) 199 – which calls for a decent pay rise for NHS staff, including midwives […]

More flexible working will support staff retention says RCM

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is encouraging more flexible working to support better retention of midwives and maternity support workers (MSW). The RCM statement comes as the NHS Staff Council publish new guidance on flexible working for NHS line managers and staff. New flexible working rules for the NHS were introduced in September 2021. […]

Closing disparities in maternity care through doula certification in Connecticut, US

The US state of Connecticut is creating a certification programme to make doula care more accessible in a bid to close the gap in maternity care disparities for Black women. In Connecticut, Black women are 2.6 times more likely to die within six weeks following childbirth than White women. A person with state doula certification […]

Midwives welcome increased parental leave payments in New Zealand

Midwives in New Zealand have welcomed the $40 a week increase in parental leave payments announced by the government. The increase will come into effect from 1 July 2022, which means the weekly rate of paid maximum parental leave will be increasing to $661.12, a 6.3% increase before tax. Parents who are self-employed will also […]

Four out of five NHS staff say they would quit their jobs over pay

A poll has shown four out of five NHS Staff (80%) would quit their job over pay, but 79% said they would stay if their pay increased to tackle inflation. The results of the poll have come shortly before NHS workers join TUC’s cost of living rally in London on Saturday (18 June). Over 2,000 […]

Research shows postnatal services are not engaging with fathers

Research conducted by the Fatherhood Institute, funded by Nuffield Foundation, shows postnatal services are not engaging with fathers during the first year postnatal. The research systematically reviewed around 800 studies and literature, including studies based on the UK’s large-scale birth cohort studies, on fathers and fatherhood in the first year following birth. It found that […]

Re:Birth: Needs and wishes of women should be at the heart of maternity conversations

The Re:Birth project report on shared language has been published by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) outlining guidance to support midwives, allied health professionals and women to develop shared language for pregnancy, labour and birth. The Re:Birth project, which began in 2020, saw thousands of people provide their insight into language used during pregnancy, […]

RCM gets behind petition for funded childcare for student midwives

A student midwife and RCM member has issued a clarion call launching a petition for funded childcare for student midwives, nurses, and paramedics. Charlotte Woolsey – a midwifery student at Canterbury Christ Church University – started the petition on the UK Government petition website and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has got behind Charlotte […]

Pregnant women can now register pregnancy and access care notes in Blackpool

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the latest trusts to rollout BadgerNet where pregnant women can register their pregnancy and access their care notes digitally. At the beginning of June 2022, BadgerNet was launched at the Trust which enables pregnant women to register their pregnancy and get access to their records, removing […]