For World Mental Health Day 2026 we are highlighting the impact of workplace culture on mental wellbeing.
World Mental Health Day is a chance to reflect on the importance of mental wellbeing and the role we all play in creating supportive environments. For midwives, student midwives and maternity support workers, this message is significant: the RCM Flash Survey 2026 found that among the 75% of midwives, students and maternity support workers who reported considering leaving the profession in the previous 12 months, 41% cited mental health as a factor and 39% cited poor workplace culture.
Maternity professionals spend their careers caring for women, babies and families. However, providing compassionate care to others can be challenging when workplace pressures, stress and negative cultures affect staff wellbeing. Research shows that there is a close relationship between mental wellbeing and professional life. Cultures that are inclusive, respectful and supportive can help all staff feel valued, improve morale and retention, and enable maternity professionals to provide the highest quality care.
Supporting mental health is not the solely the responsibility of individuals. Employers, leaders and teams all have a role to play in creating workplaces where people feel respected. Equally, it is important for maternity professionals to prioritise their own wellbeing, recognise when they need support and make use of the resources available to them.
To mark World Mental Health Day, we are releasing our Search Pack M72: Workplace Culture, bringing together evidence on the factors that shape the experiences of maternity staff. The collection explores issues including harassment, discrimination, stress and management and contains research depicting the lived experiences of maternity professionals globally. It also examines proposed solutions for reducing workplace stress and creating healthier working environments.
It’s important for everyone working in maternity services to reflect on their own wellbeing and consider how they can contribute to a culture of inclusion and understanding. For professional support, the Royal College of Midwives offers a range of resources relating to workplace culture, bullying, wellbeing and raising concerns. Additionally, trusted charities like Mind and the Samaritans offer practical advice, resources and support to help individuals manage stress and protect their mental health. We encourage you to explore these resources alongside the latest evidence in our Search Pack.
What are MIDIRS Search Packs?
Our Search Packs are pre-made literature searches on topics within maternity research. They contain a comprehensive bibliographic list of articles as well as article abstracts. You can find a list of all of our Search Packs and information on accessing them here. If you require a more specific search, our librarians are also on hand to provide bespoke literature searches, which can be ordered on our Products and Services page.
Plus, take a look back at articles discussing midwifery workplace culture that have featured in past editions of MIDIRS Midwifery Digest:
‘What are the lived experiences of midwives who provide intrapartum midwifery care within obstetric-led settings? A narrative literature review‘ C Woolsey (September 2025)
Aim: Understanding the lived experiences of midwives providing intrapartum care in obstetric-led settings, where most UK births take place (Office for National Statistics (ONS) 2024) will reveal potential areas for improvement, promoting staff retention and better care for women and babies.
Method: A systematic search across three maternity literature databases; CINAHL, the British Nursing Index and the Maternity and Infant Care (MIC) database.
Results: Nine primary research articles published between 2014–2024 exploring midwives’ experiences of providing intrapartum care in obstetric-led settings were included. Thematic analysis revealed three overarching themes: navigating opposing philosophies; belief in and knowledge of physiological birth; and being ‘with institution’ rather than ‘with woman’.
Conclusion: Across studies, midwives reported conflict between the midwifery and medical philosophies in obstetric-led settings, leading to power imbalance, loss of autonomy and an inability to provide quality
midwifery care because of increasing workloads. A negative culture was reflected, prompting recommendations for practice and research.
‘Could negative treatment of student midwives during training affect staff retention and care provisions for women and birthing people, families and neonates?‘ A Marsh (March 2024)
Background: There is little published literature discussing the mental health and wellbeing of student midwives in relation to the clinical environment. However, it appears that many student midwives consider leaving the role because of poor mental health, which may have detrimental effects on the future maternity workforce. The crisis of maternity services is widely documented, with mental distress in midwifery students linked to an unsupportive, bullying and intimidating clinical environment, poor mentor relationships and high dropout rates.
Objective: This scoping review aims to explore whether negative treatment of student midwives during training can affect staff retention and, consequently, care provisions for women and birthing people, families and neonates.
Methods: A scoping review was conducted using CINAHL Ultimate, refined to five databases: AMED, ERIC, MEDLINE, MEDLINE with Full Text and CINAHL Ultimate. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were set. The data were analysed using Braun & Clarke’s thematic analysis (2006) to identify and collate patterns and themes in the literature.
Results: Four articles were suitable for inclusion and, from these, three common themes on the experience of students were identified: workplace bullying, lack of identity, and mental health and wellbeing. Direct links have been found to connect high levels of attrition to negative treatment in clinical practice, contributing to the widely documented staffing crisis in maternity services. Moreover, an unsupportive and toxic learning environment has been shown to impact negatively on care provisions for women and birthing people, neonates and families.
Conclusion: There is little research into the experiences of student midwives in clinical practice, despite their being exposed to the same working conditions and environment as qualified midwives. The conclusion of this scoping review is that a direct link can be made between treatment of student midwives, and staff attrition and retention, leading to a further deficit in the maternity workforce.
‘Finding strength after bullying in the workplace: a reflective account‘ SE Black (March 2018)
Purpose: To critically analyse and reflect on the subject of ‘bullying’ in the workplace.
Introduction: This article will be based on a reflective account of my first-hand experience of bullying in the workplace. Bullying can be defined as ‘repeated and unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker or a group of workers that creates a risk to health and safety’ (ANMF 2017). Workplace bullying is currently a serious problem in the United Kingdom’s (UK) workplaces.
Literature review: To explore behavioural traits, personality, effects on mental and physical health, leadership styles and cultural influences in relation to bullying.
Conclusion: Staff should be given information on how to report bullying behaviours and managers/senior members of the team should promote an open and honest culture towards reporting bullying. Staff should also be able to access support from colleagues, union representatives, human resources (HR) and managers if needed. To support staff further when dealing with and tackling workplace bullying, training on effective communication skills, resilience and conflict resolution should be included.
To read these papers in full, plus hundreds more midwifery-related articles, subscribe to MIDIRS and access our full MIC database, as well as our quarterly Digest.
