‘Midwives and Maternity Support Workers have every right to strike’ say RCM
Midwives and Maternity Support Workers (MSW’s) have every right to strike – that’s the message coming from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) at the TUC Special Congress. Speaking at the Special Congress RCM’s General Secretary Gill Walton outlined the RCM’s support for the TUCs campaign against minimum service levels in the event of industrial […]
Make NHS Scotland’s IT systems neurodiverse friendly says RCM
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in Scotland has called for all IT systems in Scotland’s NHS to be made neurodiverse friendly. The call comes as the RCM’s attended the STUC Disabled Workers Conference this week. Over the last decade the NHS has seen a significant increase in the use of electronic IT systems with […]
Students take centre stage at first standalone conference
The RCM’s first standalone student midwife conference took place in Doncaster this week, with students from all over the UK in attendance. In her opening address, RCM Chief Executive Gill Walton said: “I know you’ll all be aware of the challenges faced by midwives and maternity services now. The fact that you haven’t let that […]
Situation in Israel-Gaza
Like the rest of the world, the RCM is deeply saddened by the escalating situation in Israel and Gaza. Midwives and other healthcare workers continue to work tirelessly to support women and children, who yet again have become the victims of a situation not of their making. We continue to support the work of the […]
Responding to The Maternity Safety Alliance’s call for a public, statutory inquiry into maternity safety in England, Birte Harlev-Lam, Executive Director Midwife at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “The Royal College of Midwives shares the frustration of the Maternity Safety Alliance at the pace of progress in maternity safety. We have consistently highlighted where […]
RCM learning rep scoops TUC award
A midwife and RCM learning representative has won a TUC award for her work supporting members at the TUC Congress Awards ceremony on 10 September. Afshan Ali received the TUC Union Learning Rep Award for making sure that all the learning needs of all those in the South Tees Trust Branch are taken into consideration. […]
Degree apprenticeships show promise of building the next generation of midwives
A new route into midwifery has been praised by an independent report. The report, commissioned by NHS England and the Royal College of Midwives and written by Professor Richard Griffin of King’s College London, found that registered midwifery degree apprenticeships (RMDAs) found it improved accessibility and workforce retention. The evaluation found that there were significantly […]
RCM calls for end to unpaid overtime in TUC Congress motion
RCM calls for end to unpaid overtime in TUC Congress motion The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has called on the Government to end unpaid overtime in the NHS. Speaking to the motion, RCM workplace representative Toni Wood told the TUC Congress in Liverpool that midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) across England give 100,000 […]
NHS England moves to offer better wellbeing support and assess staffing levels welcome says RCM
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has welcomed a move by NHS England (NHSE) to improve support around burnout and stress for maternity and neonatal staff. This latest move is a part of the Three year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services published in March. NHSE has also committed to looking afresh at maternity […]
RCM call for government to ensure maternity is key plank of women’s health strategy
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has called on the Government to ensure that maternity care is central to its women’s health strategy, following the announcement last week of several new measures aimed at improving women’s health. Among the measures announced were the development of a new AI tool to identify early risks in maternity […]