Growing the midwifery workforce

The 3-year delivery plan for maternal and neonatal services in England has been released, aiming to make care safer, more personalised and more equitable for women, babies and families (NHS England, 2023a). The plan sets out a strategy for delivering change by bringing together the actions and recommendations from a range of policies and reports into one cohesive document.

A key strength of this plan is engagement with the stakeholders in maternity care, including service users, frontline staff, leaders and a dedicated working group chaired by the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). This engagement is hugely important to ensure that the voices of those whose experiences of maternity services has been less than acceptable have been heard.

The accompanying letter from senior leadership at NHS England (2023b) makes it clear that the plan is aimed at frontline staff and leadership, and summarises the contribution that different NHS departments will make to delivering the plan, which incorporates four key themes: