RCM Annual Conference 2019 - the highlights
on 03 October 2019 Maternity Services RCM Annual Conference
3,500 delegates, 35 plenary speakers, 29 member-led abstracts, 8 sponsored fringe sessions, 50 exhibitors, a choir, mindfulness and pilates. This year's RCM Annual Conference was crammed with content to inspire, challenge, share learning and motivate. Providing an opportunity to take a breather from busy working lives to reflect, re-centre and reconnect.
The conference was buzzing with ideas and experiences from those just embarking on their midwifery careers through to those with 30 plus years of supporting women, delivering babies and advocating for high quality care. Our conference app and twitter feeds were alive with delegates sharing their thoughts and reactions, asking questions, imparting wisdom and engaging in debate.
The conference was the opportunity to showcase the work RCM is doing on behalf of members globally and nationally, with launches of our leadership manifesto and development programmes and our Blue Topped Guidance series supporting evidence based practice, as well as our collaboration with RCOG to change culture around safety through Each baby Counts Learning & Support.
So many highlights and so many excellent speakers, everyone will have their own highlights:
- Franka Cadee, President of ICM shone a bright light and lit up conference with her passion about the impact that midwives are having across the world – her message be brave and stand up for women – the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world
- Newly Qualified midwife Louise Webster shared the highs and lows of her first 1000 days as a midwife with honesty and humour moving from surviving to thriving
- Scottish CMO Jaki Lambert and English CMO Jacque Dunkley Bent shared the many challenges of change, the realities of putting policy into practice whilst keeping mental health and inequalities high on the agenda
- Mum and author Elaine Hanzak brought a very personal account to our let's talk about perinatal mental health session
- Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething paid tribute to the work of the RCM in keeping issues alive on his desk – student numbers up and bursary retained in Wales, safe staffing levels a government commitment, so why not in England?
- MSW Catherine Cargill urges maternity services to seize the opportunity of developing support workers, she shows real principled and thoughtful leadership.
Work now starts on planning next year's conference. It'll be held in Wales from 6-7 October. We want to hear from you about what makes for an unmissable conference experience.
You can get in touch with us via RCM Connect on 0300 303 0444 or email via RCM Connect Support: [email protected].
Take a look at this year's photo album here.