The long-awaited future midwife consultation has been launched by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). It is made up of two parts: standards of proficiency for midwives (what they need to know and be competent to do) and the standards for pre-registration education programmes. The standards of proficiency apply to all midwives from the point of registration onwards. It is therefore important that midwives respond to the consultation, which closes on Thursday 9 May 2019.
These standards are important because they set the framework for midwives for many years to come. They address changes in practice and in care priorities since the last update; hence the focus on quality care and the high profile given to perinatal mental health and continuity of carer.
These standards have been developed over 3 years. The project has been led by Professor Mary Renfrew and has involved many midwives and service users. A UK-wide reference group, NMC-led events and social media campaigns have been introduced to keep people involved.
The standards are logically laid out and clear to follow. They are based on the care model developed for the excellent Lancet midwifery series (2014), centred around women's needs rather than professional demarcation. In the UK, it is fortunate that most maternity care is provided by midwives, alongside maternity support workers, who provide additional medical care for those who need it. Use of the Lancet model ensures that care is individualised, building on the principle of universal care for all with additional care for those with greater needs. The model also recognises the importance of effective teamwork and appropriate delegation. All of these aspects are reflected in the new proposed standards.
The proficiencies set out in the new standards have a strong emphasis on communication and relationship-building—skills that are at the heart of quality midwifery care. As quality maternity care is crucial for future health, the importance of public health and health promotion is clear.
One challenge for the implementation of these standards to ensure that the clinical experience matches the topics covered in theoretical components. The standards for practice-based learning are clear that students must experience continuity of carer and follow women throughout the continuum of care, which, it is hoped, will address one of the concerns regarding postnatal care. With the reduction in length of postnatal stay and of home visits, it is hard for students to see the same woman day after day and understand what constitutes the range of normal physiological changes, which then enables them to detect when things go wrong.
Furthermore, the programme standards contain two key areas of discussion. The first concerns the overall length of the programme. With 3 years as a minimum and half of the time spent on practice-based learning, is it possible to include all the new content and skills development as well as allowing students time to think in this time period? If not, what is the time required?
The other discussion concerns assessment of learning. Many areas have positive experiences of standardising the assessment for practice-based learning and the consultation is seeking views on having standardised national documentation for assessments.
Remember that the consultation looks at minimum standards, so universities are free to go further.
Now is the time to have your say. What are you waiting for?