Response to the CQC’s latest maternity services report

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) ‘Safety, Equity and Engagement in Maternity Services’ report highlights continued concern about the variation in the quality and safety of England’s maternity services

Andrea Sutcliffe, NMC Chief Executive and Registrar, said:

“Today’s report underlines the ongoing challenges facing England’s maternity services including issues around leadership, culture, teamwork and training. These are problems that require a collective effort across the healthcare system and within the multi-disciplinary team to address.

“As the professional regulator for midwives, we’re confident that implementation of our Future Midwife standards will have a positive impact. Our new standards of proficiency will shape current midwives’ future practice and the next generation will soon start graduating from Future Midwife based programmes.

“The report’s focus on poorer maternity outcomes for Black and minority ethnic women is worrying. But it is encouraging to see the emphasis on the Chief Midwifery Officer’s actions to help tackle these inequalities. Our own standards are clear, midwives need to know how to provide care that meets needs of the diverse population they serve.”

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