Regulators publish new maternity resources to support high-quality and equitable patient care
New resources created by the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to support healthcare professionals deliver high-quality care for patients have been published today.The GMC’s new ethical hub on maternity care gives advice on the professional standards in an easy-access resource for registrants, to encourage and aid inclusive and equitable high-quality care – and focus on five key themes: teamwork, communication, treatment options, escalation, and inequalities.
Key areas, including supporting patient mental health, tackling discrimination and poor workplace behaviours, and remaining compassionate under pressure, are some of the issues that are addressed.
Publication of the resources follows a stark warning from the GMC that harmful cultures are putting mothers and babies at risk.
These resources aim to place a spotlight on the need to tackle inequalities in perinatal care for and address disparities – particularly for patients from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Professor Pushpinder Mangat, Medical Director and Director of Education and Standards at the GMC, said:
‘We know that not everyone experiences maternity care equally, which is profoundly concerning. We all have a role to play in addressing that, and individual healthcare professionals can deliver real change for patients by providing the safe, inclusive, and equitable care that these resources support, and which mothers, babies, and their families deserve.’
The hub, hosted on the GMC’s website, also includes practical advice on managing handovers, addressing language barriers, and seeking feedback from patients.
Learning from maternity reviews, as well as engagement with bodies including the Care Quality Commission and NHS England’s Perinatal Culture and Leadership Programme, shaped the development of the hub. The GMC and NMC also engaged with the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority in Northern Ireland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales – and also sought feedback from the pregnancy and baby loss charities Sands and Tommy’s.
You can view the maternity care resource in the ethical hub and the NMC’s resource.
