The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in Scotland has welcomed the publication of the report and recommended actions of the Scottish Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce and says that ‘the valuable contribution made by its members alongside RCM staff in shaping the report cannot be underestimated.”
The College says the report, recommendations and actions from the Ministerial Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce support the RCM’s calls and the Scottish Government’s ambition for a better work experience, one where midwives and maternity care workers (MCAs) feel valued and can thrive with clear career development across clinical, education, research and leadership roles.
However, the RCM says the recommendations contained in the report are not a ‘quick fix’ to the current and longstanding issues impacting the workforce as these require investment to make the transformational changes needed.
The RCM has also cautioned that the Scottish Government cannot afford not to realise these recommendations to their full and says that they owe that to the women and families using Scotland’s maternity services and the staff that work in them.
Jaki Lambert, the RCM’s Director for Scotland attended the launch of the report at Napier University, alongside Justine Craig the Chief Midwifery Officer (CMidO) for Scotland and Neil Gray the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.
Commenting, Jaki, said:
“We are pleased that Scottish Government took a partnership approach to this work and listened to the midwifery community in Scotland. What they heard and reported in the Listening Project Report is clearly reflected in the recommendations in this report. It’s also what the RCM has long been telling them in response to successive publications and reports about getting maternity services right for staff and women and families. These recommendations are essential, but this is just the start of the hard work and while we will continue to amplify our members voice nationally as implementation begins, we want every midwife and maternity care assistant to be part of this change.”
The RCM is clear that this work is the culmination of thousands of midwives and nursing staff being listened to across Scotland, through surveys, face to face sessions and in the working groups where RCM members have been able to have their say. The RCM also says its pleased that the recommendations contained in this new report meet the majority of the recommendations from the RCM’s own Five year plan for the profession in Scotland, if they are fully realised.
Jaki added:
“The taskforce was set up as a direct result of midwives making their voices heard during the 2023 pay negotiations. The RCM felt it was crucial the Scottish Government heard directly from our members and, working together with the Royal College of Nursing, we have been able to ensure their voices have been heard. Bringing our members together to strengthen our input and influence in shaping a better working environment for all midwifery and nursing staff has been invaluable. The RCM wants all our members to thrive at work, we want to see real career opportunities and fair reward for our committed midwives and MCAs. Currently the reality is often somewhat different, and we want to change that. Could the recommendations have been more ambitious? Of course, but we worked within the given financial constraints to develop realistic recommendations that will enable us to start with a clear plan for improvements.”
You can read the full Ministerial Scottish Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce report and recommended actions here.
