Midwife and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Cathy Warwick has said that maternity system failings could be happening anywhere during her speech at the RCM conference.
Speaking at the RCM annual conference yesterday, Cathy Warwick said that the maternity failings highlighted in the Kirkup Report could be happening anywhere and will continue to happen if midwives don’t act.
“Since the Kirkup report has come out I have thought its findings long and hard and realise…the terrible truth is right now everything Dr Bill Kirkup found could be happening elsewhere and will continue to happen unless we [midwives], not just others, do something about it,” she said.
Cathy Warwick spoke to thousands of midwives at the RCM two-day annual conference, asking for them to rise up to the challenging to improve maternity services and generating change.
“It is also my collective believe that if we as midwives find our collective voice, support each other, share our good practice, put women rather than competing ideologies at the centre of what we do we can make a difference. It is you – the person at the frontline who can have an impact,” Cathy added.
She also announced how RCM has impacted on the issue of the shortage of midwives in England, leading Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s statement in parliament that more midwives are needed and that maternity provisions should be expanded.
Closing her speech at the RCM conference she said: “It is my believe that in a world of complexity, paradoxes, and competing priorities active, committed midwives, supporting each other, centre on women…can make a difference. You must summon up all your energy and resilience and make it happen.”
The RCM conference is being held at The International Centre, Telford.
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