New principles support person-centred care for women and babies

Following collaboration with stakeholders and maternity service users across the four nations of the UK, the NMC has today (21 August) launched the coproduced Principles for supporting women’s choices in maternity care.

The principles have been developed in response to a changing maternity landscape, with more women choosing alternatives to standard care pathways in pursuit of personalised care. For example, there is emerging evidence that freebirths, sometimes supported by unregulated people, are increasing across the UK.

Grounded in real-world practice, these evidence-based principles provide supportive information for midwives and employers navigating complex care scenarios. This will help to ensure that professionals can support women’s individual choices while delivering high-quality, person-centred care in line with the NMC Code and standards.

Crucially, the principles have been designed so that the supporting information can be used in any setting or situation. The principles explain how organisations can support staff when care is declined, requested outside of guidance, or involves unregulated people.

The NMC and its partners have considered the views of women across the UK, as well as a wide range of stakeholders, including the Chief Midwifery Officers, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and midwives working with ambulance services, in the development of these principles. This work has also been informed by the voices of service users and wider maternity community organisations.

Midwives, and maternity leaders and staff can learn more about the principles at an upcoming webinar on September 8.

Tracey MacCormack, Assistant Director for Midwifery at the NMC, said:

“Shaped by midwifery practitioners and service user voices, these principles help midwives and employers to provide safe, personalised care for women and babies.

“The principles will ensure that women’s views, choices and preferences are at the heart of maternity care. We’re encouraging maternity leaders to apply these practical principles flexibly across settings, so that individualised care planning can follow the needs of every woman.

“We hope these principles will strengthen relationships between women and midwives, promote shared decision-making and help ensure women’s choices are heard, respected and acted on.”

In a joint statement, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust, and South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We are proud to support and contribute to this essential collaboration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. We are committed to advancing this partnership, confident that it will lead to improved care for our communities.

“We believe that by working closely with the NMC, we can ensure that midwifery standards are upheld and that our services align with best practices in maternity care.

“We welcome the NMC in recognising the role of the Ambulance Service in this endeavour.”

Read the principles for supporting women's choices in maternity care

Further information 

• Care ‘outside of guidance’ refers to when a woman declines certain aspects of maternity care at home, in a midwifery-led unit or an obstetric-led unit.
• Women can choose to have a birth without a midwife or doctor with them (an unassisted birth). This is sometimes called freebirth. Freebirth is a legal option for a woman in the UK.
• Unregulated people are those who are not midwives registered with the NMC and, in the context of the principles document, are providing clinical midwifery or medical care during the continuum of a woman’s care.
• The principles are not mandatory but intended to be used flexibly across different care settings.
• It is a criminal offence for any person who is not a registered midwife, meaning someone who has a qualification in midwifery and is registered with NMC or a registered medical practitioner, to attend a woman in childbirth.

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