14 March 2006
A meeting was held today (14th March 2006) with Liam Byrne, the Health Minister responsible for maternity
services and other Department of Health officials with key stakeholders from consumer and maternity groups.
The aim of the meeting was to discuss the implementation of the National Health Service
Community Midwifery Model (NHSCMM). The tone of the meeting was very positive and looked at ways to
breakdown organisational obstacles when implementing the NHSCMM. The Minister suggested that the new social
enterprise unit may be an appropriate vehicle to develop the framework to take the model forward. The
next step is for a group of midwives and their local P.C.T to spearhead the development of the contractual
and organisational arrangements for the NHSCMM.
Annie Francis, Brenda van der Kooy, Sarah Montagu,
Beverley Beech (AIMS), Belinda Phipps (NCT), Rob (BLISS),
Laura Abbott (OMOM).
July 2005
A
campaign group encompassing mothers, fathers, midwives and all those who care
about UK maternity services has been created entitled "One mother, one
midwife".
Our
vision is that every UK woman from whatever background and socio-economic status
will have the opportunity to choose her midwife and be provided with a maternity
service built upon choice, information and partnership. Under the proposed `NHS
Community Midwifery Model' put forward by the Independent Midwives Association,
a national midwifery contract (such as that already in place for general
practitioners) will enable both NHS-employed and independent midwives to use NHS
facilities and provide one-to-one midwifery care to all women, regardless of
socio-economic background. This model of care will stand alongside current
models, increasing choice and putting women at the centre of the maternity
service provision, where they belong.
Laura
Abbott, midwife and OMOM campaigner says that "by working in partnership
with women we can promote a new model of care within our maternity services.
This model of care will give mothers the continuity of care the evidence says
they desperately need from their midwives and will encourage disillusioned
midwives back into the profession." Currently, only those able to pay for
an independent midwife are guaranteed such a model of care.
The
NHS Community Midwifery Model will be key in addressing the crisis of
recruitment and retention of midwives in the NHS. Liz Creed, mother and OMOM
campaigner says "If we as mums allow this sort of conveyer belt system to
carry on then our daughters and grand daughters will end up with more and more
intervention and poor care".
One
mother, one midwife is about promoting one-to-one midwifery care: forming a
partnership between mothers and their midwives; promoting trust and confidence;
reducing the need for intervention; drugs; Caesarean Sections and overall costs
to the NHS (Homer et al, 2002; Hodnett, 2004, Page et al, 2001). At the same
time, it encourages midwives to stay in the profession by maximizing the use of
their skills, raising the overall standard of care. Women could still choose to
have their care under the current systems.
The
NHS Community Midwifery Model is proposed to provide a structure in which
midwives could choose to work offering one to one care to a caseload of women.
We believe that by working in partnership we will succeed in ensuring continuity
of care and choice for all women living in the U.K.
For
further information please visit www.onemotheronemidwife.org.uk contact us at
campaign@onemotheronemidwife.org.uk
or join our fast growing campaign group at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midwifecampaign
References
Hodnett,
ED (2004) 'Continuity of caregivers for care during pregnancy and childbirth (Cochrane
review)' In: The Cochrane Library Issue
2, 2004.
Homer,
CS Davis, GK, Cooke, M & Barclay, LM (2002) 'Women's experiences of
continuity of midwifery care in a randomised trial in Australia'. Midwifery. Vol
18, no 2, pp102-112.
Page,
L Beake, S Vail, A McCourt, C & Hewison, J (2001) ,Clinical outcomes of
one-to-one midwifery practice' British Journal of Midwifery. Vol 9, pp700-706
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releases are available from our Resources page
