Maternity Services Should Be Priority Say Midwives, UK

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Also Included In: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 10 Jul 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Commenting on the release recently of the Healthcare Commission Report 'Better Births - A Review of Maternity Services in England', Dame Karlene Davis, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: "The good news is that many women are happy with the service, and that many Trusts are making great efforts to further improve their maternity care. It is a great shame that the good examples are overshadowed by the bad ones.

"I applaud the report's recommendation that a greater priority is put on maternity services because this is needed and long, long overdue. Trust bosses have got to take maternity services more seriously than they have in the past, and put in the time, effort and money to get them right. I am concerned on the Back of the Lord Darzi Review of the NHS that the Strategic Health Authority Regional Vision Documents released recently show little evidence that maternity services are a priority. We expect it, the Government expect it and most important of all, midwives and mothers expect it. This means more staff, better facilities and a service that offers real choice.

"The Government have given a commitment to have four-thousand more midwives by 2012, yet I see no evidence to suggest we are anywhere near hitting that target. There is also no evidence that the promises in the Maternity Matters document for more choice for women are anywhere near being met.

"I also recognise that there is work to do to ensure that all staff - including midwives and doctors - work better together. Everybody has the same aim, to provide better services for women and babies, and we are working with other organisations and the Government to make this happen. There is also much in the report that Trust heads can use to improve services, so let us hope they do this quickly and effectively.

"We celebrate the good examples highlighted in this report, and there are many, but we also want action to tackle the bad ones. We need investment that actually reaches the front line, better staffing levels and better facilities. It has also got to start happening now. If it doesn't the vision for better maternity services will always be on the other side of the horizon, leaving yet another legacy of broken Government promises, and maternity services that do not match the grand rhetoric."

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) aims to promote and advance the profession of the midwife. The RCM represents over 95% of the UK's midwives and is one of the world's oldest and one of the largest midwifery organisations, and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2006. It is also a trade union.

Royal College of Midwives