Continuity and consultation

Having been an independent midwife for several years of my midwifery career, I, for one, did not have to be convinced of the benefits of Continuity of Carer (CoC) for both mother and midwife. The publication of the National Maternity Review and its endorsements of CoC were greeted with open arms (NHS England, 2016). However, it must be appreciated that this was not necessarily the reaction from all midwives, as, for many, it called for a change in working patterns that some midwives had grown accustomed to for many years.

The London North West Local Maternity System (LMS) is committed to delivering the Better Births (NHS England, 2017a; 2017b) vision, developing and implementing new models of care across the sector (Box 1). Our aim is to provide all women with a named midwife throughout their pregnancy journey. We are committed to providing every woman and her baby or babies with the best start, providing safe high-quality integrated care, through information sharing and support for the promotion of healthy lives.