Five-year vision for midwifery profession in Scotland

Our ambition for Scotland: all midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) in Scotland feel valued and can give the highest standard of individualised care to women, newborns and families. They are working in safe workplaces with supportive cultures that enable them to thrive and develop at every stage in their career.

The unprecedented response to RCM Scotland’s survey of members in 2022 – 39% of members in stark contrast to 1-2% in previous UK-wide surveys – reflected the challenges that midwives currently face but also the value of taking a different approach.

In developing this five-year plan for the midwifery profession in Scotland, the RCM has contributed broadly to ensure that we are reflecting the ambition of the whole profession. It builds on the foundation of the survey, evidencing that only are midwives and MSWs being listened to but that there is commitment to coproducing the changes required to achieve the ambition of this plan.

The role of the RCM in Scotland is not direct but to facilitate through supporting, promoting and influencing on behalf of the profession. This plan provides a broad framework for aligning the share ambitions of maternity professionals, the Scottish Government, the regulator, territorial and special boards, NHS Education Scotland and Health Improvement Scotland to ensure that midwifery and maternity care are safe, sustainable, future focused and always compassionate.

The Five Year Plan progress report is to benchmark the progress throughout 2023 and share key successes against the five-year plan for the midwifery profession in Scotland. Alongside our aims and objectives we have shared some key moments of progress and areas where we still need to grow.