RCM welcomes Minster’s approval of full backpay for members in Northern Ireland

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has welcomed the approval by Mike Nesbitt, the Health Minister for Northern Ireland, of the full 12 months of back pay owing to RCM members. This means midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) will now receive their 5.5% pay award which will be backdated to 1 April 2024 and […]

RCM publishes results of pay consultation with members in Northern Ireland

Midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) working in the HSC in Northern Ireland have had their say on the overdue 5.5% pay award announced in December. Following a two-week consultation the RCM says 76 percent of its members who voted said the 2024/25 award is acceptable as a step towards addressing the long term pay cuts […]

Campaign to improve pay for RCM members continues

Members of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) were in London this week giving oral evidence about the lived experience of midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) to the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB). They were joined by RCM staff who also urged the PRB to consider the bigger picture when it comes to pay […]

RCM welcomes long overdue pay award for members in Northern Ireland

A long overdue pay award has finally arrived for midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) in Northern Ireland. In a letter to Health and Social Care unions the Minister for Health Mike Nesbitt has confirmed that RCM members in Northern Ireland will receive a pay rise of 5.5%. The proposed pay award is on par […]

Government pay recommendation ‘not good enough’ says RCM

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has described the Government’s pay recommendation of 2.8% for 2025/26 as ‘not good enough’ and says it won’t meet the expectations of its hard-working members. Furthermore, moving the crucial structural negotiations which formed part of this year’s pay round into 2025/26 runs counter to the Government’s previous commitment of […]

New figures show shock fall in number of UK-educated midwives joining NMC Register

New data from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has revealed a shock fall in the number of UK-educated midwives who are joining the register. The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has described the decrease of 12.5% as ‘significant’, given the understaffing challenges blighting maternity services. The RCM has been warning of the impact of […]

‘Improving pay part of solution to recruitment and retention crisis,’ RCM tells Pay Review Body

‘Paying staff fairly and valuing the skilled work they do is an important part of the solution to the maternity staffing crisis.’ That’s what the RCM has told the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) this week, in its written evidence submission for the 2025/26 pay round for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The RCM is […]

Renfrew report must be catalyst for much needed change, says RCM

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has said it’s ‘hopeful’ the long-awaited Renfrew Report will bring about a much-needed reset of midwifery services in Northern Ireland. Welcoming the report’s publication, the RCM said listening, understanding, and acting on the experiences of women and midwifery staff must be the driving force for change. However, the RCM […]

RCM respond to reports on PRB pay recommendation

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has responded to reports that the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) has recommended an above-inflation pay rise of 5.5%. The PRB says this is in line with increases in private sector pay, that’s according to The Times today. Thousands of hard-working midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) across England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been waiting with increasing frustration […]