‘Seismic shift in maternity services’ say midwives on Scottish National Maternity Review

By RCM on 20 January 2017 RCM Scotland Scotland Scottish Government Scottish Maternity Services

Today the Scottish Government has published its national maternity review ‘The Best Start - A Five Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland’.

Commenting on the Plan, Mary Ross-Davie, Director for Scotland at the Royal College of Midwives, said; “This is a very welcome report and one that has the full support of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).

“This is a defining moment for maternity services in Scotland and will be a seismic shift for our maternity services. The plan has the potential to revolutionise maternity care, to deliver safer and better services for women, babies and their families, and to improve the health of our population.

“What is so important is that this puts women and their families at the centre of care. Everything should and will revolve around their needs. The focus on continuity of care and carer – that is the woman seeing the same midwife or small group of midwives – is very welcome. There is very strong evidence that better continuity of care leads to better results for the mother and baby.

“The move to services being mainly community based is significant and welcome, and indeed is what women want. Currently most maternity care is delivered in hospitals. The shift to community based care will effectively mean turning the way maternity services work on their head. This will not be easy and will of course present many challenges for the service and its staff.

“I am pleased to see the plan recognising the importance of improving the care and health, of women and their babies in our most deprived communities. Many of these women will have poorer health before and during pregnancy, which can have a significant and negative impact on the health of the baby. If we can really tackle this issue, the benefits to the mother and their baby’s long term health could be profound. This will lead to a healthier mothers and healthier babies who will be healthier adults.

“I am hugely pleased to see improving services for pregnant women with mental health problems as a priority. One of the leading causes of death related to pregnancy is because of suicide. Tackling this issue will not only improve the lives of many women and their families, it will save lives.

“This plan is going to ask a lot of our maternity staff including midwives, maternity support workers and their colleagues. Many of them are going to face significant changes to how and where they work. The plan recognises this, and the need for training, support and time for the workforce to adapt to news ways of working. This is vital because without the support of staff, no system can work effectively.

“Overall this is an ambitious, well thought through and comprehensive plan. The RCM will be doing all it can to support and ensure the plan comes to fruition. We all need now to focus on making this happen because the women, babies and their families in Scotland want this, need this, and deserve this.

Cathy Warwick, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives, added: “This plan will shape the future of maternity services for women, babies and their families in Scotland and the Scottish Government must be applauded for this.

“Its vision is bold and its potential to make a real difference to the health of mothers and babies and their experience of pregnancy is far reaching.  The RCM will be putting its full weight behind this plan to support its implementation in what will be a transformation in Scotland’s maternity care.”

 

To contact the RCM Press Office call 020 7312 3456 or email pressofficer@rcm.org.uk.

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Notes to editors

 

The RCM is the only trade union and professional association dedicated to serving midwifery and the whole midwifery team. We provide workplace advice and support, professional and clinical guidance and information, and learning opportunities with our broad range of events, conferences and online resources. For more information visit the RCM website at https://www.rcm.org.uk/.