Cavendish review a ‘snub’ to profession say midwives Commenting on the Cavendish Review on healthcare assistants (HCAs) published last night, Denise Linay head of organising and engagement at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said: “We are deeply disappointed with this review. It does not seem to recognise that nursing and midwifery are two very distinct and different professions and seems focused almost entirely on HCAs working with nurses. I think many midwives and Maternity support workers (MSWs) will take this as a snub to the profession.* I am sure this is not intended but this is how it will be received. MSWs working with midwives are at best an afterthought in the report. “MSWs are an absolutely crucial part of the maternity team. Their careers, development and progression and therefore the safety of the public will not be aided by them being called nursing assistants. The fact that midwifery assistant is not a term permitted in law indicates that the Cavendish team have failed to recognise the very real differences between the nursing and midwifery professions. There is no mention of the difference between a midwife and MSW which is far more extensive than the difference between a nurse and a HCA. “There are some specific recommendations that cannot apply to midwifery. The report reinforces the argument for HCAs with the appropriate Foundation Degree to ‘bridge’ the first year of the nursing degree. This is not possible in midwifery due to an EU directive. The Review also states that the RCM along with other unions ‘set the standards of for the training of registered professionals’; this is incorrect. “We do recognise that many of the recommendations do have relevance for MSWs. The RCM have long been advocating core curricula, training and standards for MSWs. The concerns raised by Cavendish including the inconsistency of access to education and training are as applicable to support roles in midwifery as they are in nursing. However, to effectively exclude MSWs from the scope of the review - which is how it appears - undermines their value in supporting midwives, women and their families. “This is a good report for nursing and HCAs but it does not specifically address the issue facing MSWs in maternity services. We therefore feel that a separate report along these lines is needed for maternity services and we would look forward to contributing to that report, as we did with this one.” For further information please contact the RCM Press Office on 020 7312 3456, [email protected]. Ends Notes to editors *Maternity support worker is the general term for staff occupying a similar position in maternity services to that of healthcare assistants in nursing.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 15:05:23 +0000
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