The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has welcomed the results of a national survey by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which shows that women’s experiences of maternity care are improving in some areas despite the challenges facing services and staff.

The RCM says it’s pleased to see an increase in the levels of perinatal mental health support and in other areas elevated levels of satisfaction from women who said, ‘midwives always listened to them’ and ‘always’ shared clinical information with them in a way they understood.

Calls from the CQC for national action the RCM said it supports, particularly the CQC’s ask of additional capital investment to support staff to deliver high-quality care, which is something the RCM has long campaigned for. Ensuring services have the right, staff in the right place at the right time with the right education and training the RCM says has never been more important given the increase in more complex pregnancies.

Commenting, RCM’s Director for Maternity Reform, Abbie Aplin said:

“It’s really encouraging to see the experiences of women using maternity services are improving, but there’s still much work to do to ensure everyone using our maternity services are getting that gold standard, of high-quality care. During pregnancy, and up to one year after birth, one in five women will experience mental health issues, ranging from anxiety and depression to more severe illness. Midwives and MSWs play a vital role in identifying the signs of poor mental health and supporting women who experience it during pregnancy, so it’s really positive to see women are getting this vital support when they need it. However, it’s disappointing that some women reported poorer experiences during labour and birth, with a five-year downward trend in the number of people reporting that they were ‘always’ able to get help from staff during labour and birth. We know that maternity services up and down the country are struggling with staffing levels, and sadly this is a stark reminder of what can happen when you have too few staff. Our own members tell us that they often struggle to give the high standard of care they want and know they can deliver due to midwifery staffing pressures.”

The RCM says its disappointed that women who reported their ethnicity as Indian, Pakistani and ‘any other white background’ reported poorer experiences. Just last month the RCM launched Decolonising Midwifery Practice which follows the RCM’s Decolonising Midwifery Education toolkit which launched in 2023 which aims to ensure the midwifery curriculum educates midwives to provide outstanding and safe care to those from all backgrounds.

Abbie added:

“The RCM is focusing on decolonising both the education and practice of midwives and all maternity staff because we believe, positive change is urgently needed to improve the maternity experiences of women from the global majority. However, this requires a multi-agency approach. We also need specialist midwives in the right places to provide that specialist support and care that women from majority ethnic backgrounds so often need.”

ENDS

For interview requests and to contact the RCM Media Office call 020 7312 3456, or email media@rcm.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

• The findings of CQC’s latest annual national maternity survey capture what 19,000 women who gave birth in February 2024 felt about the care they received while pregnant, in hospital during and after labour, and once at home in the weeks following the arrival of their baby.
• Perinatal mental health – Royal College of Midwives
• Strengthening perinatal mental health roadmap
• Action urgently needed to eliminate disparities in maternal health – Royal College of Midwives
• Decolonising Midwifery Practice – RCM
• Decolonising Midwifery Education Toolkit

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is the only trade union and professional association dedicated to serving midwifery and the whole midwifery team.  We provide workplace advice and support, professional and clinical guidance, and information, and learning opportunities with our broad range of events, conferences, and online resources. For more information visit the RCM | A professional organisation and trade union dedicated to serving the whole midwifery team.