Navigating the Climate Crisis: A Call to Action for Midwives on #IDM2024
By Lia Brigante, professional policy advisor at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and a board member for Europe at the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) As many midwives, I find myself deeply concerned about the intersection of the climate crisis and maternal health. Year after year, we witness rising temperatures, intensified extreme weather events, […]
Perinatal mental health – why it matters and what midwives can do
on 29 April 2024 Sally Ashton‐May, Director of Midwifery Policy and Practice at the RCM discusses perinatal mental health care for women is crucial and role that midwives can play. Low mood and poor mental health affect many people, but during the perinatal period women can be particularly vulnerable. Pregnancy is often portrayed as a […]
Let’s talk about flex and make it a reality for midwives and MSWs
By Alice Sorby on 10 April 2024 From 6 April this year, the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 means that employees in England, Scotland and Wales have the statutory right to request flexible working from day one of employment. Improved flexible working rights also mean that two requests can be made per year (it was […]
Still they persist
By Gill Walton on 08 March 2024 RCM Chief Executive, Gill Walton, celebrates the women supporting women, despite the barriers and the challenges, around the world in her blog for International Women’s Day. As I write this, I can’t help but think about all the brilliant women I’ve met through my career. Midwives, MSWs, obstetricians, […]
Midwives: please help women to get vaccinated against whooping cough
By Clare Livingstone on 06 March 2024 As midwives, we know the importance of talking to pregnant women about vaccination, not only for their own health but that of their baby. Over the past few months, you couldn’t fail to miss the news stories about the rise of measles, a disease many of us haven’t […]
Menopause in the workplace – changes to the law
By Marion Nicolaides, Employment Relations Advisor at The Royal College of Midwives on 28 February 2024 With new changes to the law requiring employers in the UK to be more supportive of women going through the menopause, the RCM’s, Employment Advisor, Marion Nicolaides outlines how they will help midwives and MSWs. The menopause…it’s something that […]
St David’s Day Conference: Back with a bang! Celebrating inclusivity in maternity
Our St David’s Day conference is back in 2024 with an exhilarating line up. After last year’s theme of inspiring future midwives in Wales, this year we wanted to be even more inclusive, and discussed with our members what the theme should be, and we landed on inclusivity in maternity. Our home for the day […]
Breast feeding workers
When you work in maternity services, people would understandably expect your workplace to be the one of the most supportive around all things pregnancy and breastfeeding. Yet a recent RCM survey of health and safety reps found this to be very far from the truth. As midwives and MSWs, we all know the scientific evidence […]
Changing legislation can start with changing our culture and environment
For the STUC Women’s Conference RCM Board member Cher Dougan shares how important it is to advocate for change but how that can come in different ways including but not limited to putting motions forward to change legislation. I had the great pleasure of attending the STUC Women’s Conference at Glasgow Central Hotel. I had […]
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 […]