Where are the consultant midwives?

Abstract

Background Nearly two decades after the introduction of the consultant midwife post in the UK, little is understood about where they are and the roles they fulfil within their organisations. Aim A study was undertaken to determine the overall number of consultant midwives, explore the range of clinical specialities and map their location and coverage across the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man. Methods A survey and intelligence gathering exercise took place with an online survey being sent to key networks including Heads of Midwifery and consultant midwives in 2016/17. Findings A total of 84 consultant midwives were identified as being employed by around one third of the NHS Trusts and Health Boards. A number of issues were highlighted, including potential retirements and the gradual incorporation of managerial roles in the job description of consultant midwives. Conclusion Given the national imperatives for high quality maternity care, there needs to be a focus on succession planning and growth of the role of consultant midwives across all organisations.

Developing a career and education framework for advanced clinical practice in midwifery

“…As midwives move beyond preceptorship and the early years of their careers, many aim for enhanced roles, specializing in areas of interest such as diabetes or bereavement midwifery care. Midwives may aspire to advanced practice or consultant level practice, remaining close to clinical care and there should be the opportunity to pursue this career pathway 2, 3 .…”

“…The UK surveys conducted by Wilson et al 11,12 provided us with the largest source of data on advanced practice in UK midwifery prior to our work. The surveys identified 84 consultant midwife posts in the earlier study and 93 in the most recent.…”