Financial hardship fuels dropout fears among student midwives
Over a third of midwifery students in Scotland are so worried about the financial burden of their education that they struggle to sleep at night. That was the stark message Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) heard from student members of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). The RCM Scotland Student Midwives Finance Report highlights […]
How to fix and improve maternity safety
MIDIRS Monthly – My PHD Journey
I worked as a clinical midwife for over twenty-five years, I qualified as a registered nurse and a midwife and soon after this completed a BSc in Health studies. My intention when I qualified as a midwife did not include working in education or research. I worked in numerous settings as a community midwife, labour […]
RCM open letter on pay
RCM welcomes new research strategy but cautions it must be backed-up with resources
The importance of research to drive improvements in maternity safety and the quality of care has been underlined with the publication of a strategic plan for research from England’s Chief Midwifery Officer (CMidO). It sets out plans for maternity and perinatal research and strengthening careers for under-represented disciplines, such as midwives over the next three […]
Midwives in Northern Ireland work thousands of unpaid hours to keep services running safely
Findings published by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) have revealed that during just one week in April midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) in Northern Ireland worked 4,300 unpaid hours to keep services running safely. Three quarters (70%) of those who responded to the RCM’s poll had worked extra unpaid hours during the week […]
Empowering Migrant Women: Midwives and NHS Policy Reform
Migrant and asylum seeking women affected by NHS charging are disproportionately likely to be from Black or marginalised ethnic groups. Additionally, we know the health outcomes for these women and their babies are significantly worse, particularly for Black African and Caribbean women, than those for white British women. This has been demonstrated repeatedly through MBRRACE […]
RCM CMW/LME Leadership Project: developing midwifery leadership pathways in practice and education
Consultation opened on job evaluation matching profiles for midwifery bands
The NHS Job Evaluation Group is currently consulting on proposed revisions to the job evaluation matching profile for midwifery – bands 4, 5 and 6. This follows calls from the RCM having highlighted that the current profiles haven’t been reviewed for many years. The RCM says its members roles have evolved and new roles have […]
‘We must work together to improve outcomes’ says RCM on Saving Babies Lives report
‘Improving maternity outcomes needs to be everyone’s business. The Government, healthcare leaders and all those working in maternity services need to work together to improve tragic outcomes’. That’s the message the from Royal College of Midwives (RCM) as it responds to the Saving Babies Lives progress report. This report by Sands & Tommy’s joint policy […]