As the country continues to prepare for the general election on 4 July, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has set out what the next government has to do to make UK maternity care “the envy of the world”.
RCM says that the following actions would facilitate a radical and sustainable improvement in maternity care:
- Ensuring the right staff are in the right place, supported by the right education and training
- Ensuring maternity services reflect the needs of both the communities they serve and the staff that work in them
- Building a profession that is fit for the future
RCM CEO, Gill Walton, highlighted the fact that maternity care is a foundational element of women’s health and “deservers investment of time, attention and resource.”
“Midwives and maternity support workers do that day in, day out, and we want to see that level of commitment from policy-makers too.”
Politicians can work with the royal college to harness the good practice across the sector, build on that progress, and ultimately spread it throughout the whole NHS.
“We know there’s some great work going on around recruitment and retention of staff, better support for marginalised communities, and more flexibility around routes into midwifery,” added Gill.
“The RCM wants to be a partner for progress, for the improvements we all recognise are needed in maternity care and midwifery education.
“I genuinely believe that, by working together, we can build maternity services that are the envy of the world – and that starts with the commitment of the next Parliament.”
For more information about the best initiatives across the health service’s workforce, watch an exclusive online conference hosted by National Health Executive on demand now.
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