Released on: 20 July 2011
Belinda Phipps, Chief Executive, NCT, says;
“This report reaffirms the important role of skilled midwives and how crucial they are in supporting women and their partners through pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. If the health service implements its recommendations, it will spell the end of the factory approach to maternity services and make having a baby a more community-focused, personal and positive experience.
The report clearly recognises that women need a safe and life-enhancing experience – the success of maternity services should be measured by its ability to do both.
It is particularly good to see the emphasis on midwives’ involvement in social care of women. The report’s vision sees midwives as professionals who manage a woman’s health and social needs, working outside the medical model of care, and firmly rooted in the community.
There is also emphasis on the importance of a woman and her partner having the support of a midwife they know and trust from the start of pregnancy to the end of the postnatal period. The health service cannot yet make sure it builds a relationship with every woman, but it is aspiration for the future.
We are delighted to see a number of NCT’s recommendations, based on what parents and evidence says, have been accepted. NCT takes seriously its role of making sure UK maternity and early parenthood policy is designed for parents who use the service."
