RCM also calls for investment in maternity services
A new publication published today by the Royal College of Midwives in Scotland highlights the breadth of roles of Scottish midwives.
The publication – Midwifery in Scotland – into the 2020s – shows politicians, policy makers and the public just how wide the role of the midwife is. This ranges from working in hospitals, in the community and the home and in urban and rural settings, in specialist roles and in education.
The aim is to highlight the vital contribution of midwives in areas such as promoting public health and reducing health inequalities. This is so that policy makers and planners think of midwives when services for women and early years are being developed.
The booklet showcases a number of midwives working across a range of midwifery roles in Scotland. These include perinatal mental health, home birth services, supporting vulnerable women such those who have bene trafficked or are survivors of FGM, and in community, hospital and education settings.
The booklet also outlines the challenges facing Scotland’s maternity services. These include the need for investment in maternity services and the increasing midwifery staffing vacancies, along with an ageing workforce with many midwives approaching retirement. There is also a lack of choice for women over where to give birth and many units are operating in outdated units with outdated equipment.
Mary Ross-Davie, the Royal College of Midwives Director for Scotland, said: “When people think about midwives very often they think about birth and a midwife assisting a woman as she gives birth to a newborn baby. This is a vital part of a midwife’s work, of course, but the role includes so much more.
“Midwives make a huge contribution to improving the health of women and babies. But I think they can make an even bigger contribution if politicians and service planners think about them right at the start of improving and developing services for women and children in the early years. Midwifery is one of the oldest professions but it can and is making a real difference to women and babies now in the 21st century, and they can do even more.
“There are also challenges and our maternity services need investment if they are going to be the best they can be and give everyone born in Scotland the best possible start in life.”
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