Maternity & Midwifery Forum

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Midwifery Feature Articles

“Moral Distress” from Burnout

Paul
Photo by Claudia Wolff on Unsplash
The Select Committee on Health and social Care , Chaired by Jeremy Hunt published its findings on Workforce Burnout and Resilience in the NHS on the 8th June, just as the stress of lockdown is to be extended a month. Commenting on the report – Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, Chief Executive......
Midwifery Feature Articles

What We Need to Thrive?

Paul
In 2011, one of the Society of African and Caribbean Midwives (SoAC) leaders embarked on the journey of becoming a Mary Seacole Leadership. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr ‘Take the first step. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.’ Embarking on......
Midwifery Feature Articles

Born in Lockdown – mothers’ experiences in a pandemic

Paul
Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash
Two years ago, I set up Mothership Writers, running creative writing courses especially for new mums. I’ve now carried out more than a hundred workshops and time and time again I’ve seen just how nourishing and restorative – if not transformational – the act of putting pen to paper can......
Midwifery Sector News

Sign our petition! A Chief Midwifery Officer for every country

Paul
Following the appointment of Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE as the first Chief Midwifery Officer for England, an international group of midwives are calling on every country to follow suit, including each of the devolved governments in the UK. When announcing the first occupant of the England wide role, NHS chief......
Midwifery Sector News

“Behaviour is an invisible cloak that you think nobody can see… Embroider your cloak with love, kindness, goodwill, integrity, truth and honour”

Paul
England’s first Chief Midwifery Officer was appointed earlier this year. The appointment marked a shift in maternity and midwifery care in the NHS both towards midwife-led care for women and towards midwives becoming an ever-more self-governing group.   In this presentation, Jennifer ‘Jenny the Midwife’ Clarke explains that a true......
Midwifery Sector News

Mental Health and Stress in Maternity

Paul
The UK Health and Social Care Secretary announced new plans for better mental health and wellbeing care for NHS midwives, based on the HEE report on the mental health and wellbeing of NHS staff and learners.  In her extremely popular presentation to the Midlands Maternity & Midwifery Festival, Dr Sally......
Midwifery Sector News

Complex Care in Caseloading: the way forward for ALL pregnancies

Paul
Maternity services are under increased debate.  Rethinking methods of delivery, personalisation of care pushing back against increased caesarean sections and increased focus on postnatal care.  Into this mix groups of midwives, of which 121 midwives are an example, are working outside the institutional structures of the NHS to give women......
Midwifery Sector News

How can all women be given the choice and the options? 

Paul
In a week of fevered speculation about how Archie, the son of the Duchess of Sussex’s was to be born it was clear that, whatever finally happened, whether it was a home birth or at the private Portland Hospital, the Duchess had informed choice and the infrastructure to make it......