Friday, 9th December 2011
Commenting today on Wirral Primary Care Trust (PCT) recently signing a contract with a private midwifery service, One to One, to provide maternity care, Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “The vast majority of maternity care is provided in the NHS and the RCM believes that this should continue to be the case. The RCM understands that the One to One midwifery practice is providing continuity of midwifery care to a small group of women. The RCM supports models of midwifery care that offer women continuity and which can improve health outcomes for the mother and baby. However, such models of care can also be offered on the NHS and much more effort should be made by policy- makers to ensure this is the case, including ensuring adequate midwifery staffing and fair remuneration for staff.”
“The RCM would also argue that it is vital to the safety of women and babies that any new model of maternity service provision offered under the new ‘any qualified provider’ option is closely integrated with NHS maternity services to ensure safe transfer of care, when this is necessary. In the case of One to One, the RCM believes that such integration is in place.
“As this is the first time a non-NHS provider has been commissioned to provide the full maternity pathway (from antenatal to postnatal care), evaluation will be very important, and the RCM will want to be closely involved in this. The RCM is also determined to ensure that midwives choosing to work outside the NHS do not experience a worsening of their terms and conditions or pensions. The RCM is seeking a discussion with One to One about these issues, and we will as always be aiming to ensure high quality services for women and a positive working environment for midwives.”
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For more information about One-to-One, please contact Mason Media 0151 239 5050.
For more information contact the RCM Press Office on 020 7312 3456, pressofficer@rcm.org.uk.
Notes to editors
The Royal College of Midwives is the voice of midwifery. We are the UK’s only trade union and professional organisation led by midwives for midwives. The vast majority of the midwifery profession are our members. The RCM promotes midwifery, quality maternity services and professional standards. We support and represent our members individually and collectively in all four UK countries. We influence on behalf of our members and for the interests of the women and families for which they care. For more information visit the RCM website at www.rcm.org.uk.
