Sheffield midwives set to benefit from new charter

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has joined the Royal College of Midwives’ Caring for You charter.

The charter is one of the cornerstones of the Caring for You campaign, which aims to improve maternity services for women and babies by improving the wellbeing of staff, so they are able to give even better care.

Signing the charter means Sheffield Teaching Hospitals will commit to working with the RCM’s health and safety representatives to improve midwives, student midwives and maternity support workers’ health, safety and wellbeing at work.

Paula Schofield, nurse director and head of midwifery at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, said: “Our staff are enormously proud of the services they provide to women and their families and the service was recently assessed and rated as ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission.

“I am delighted to be signing this Charter on their behalf, and welcome the extra support the RCM will help us provide to ensure the health and wellbeing needs of our maternity services staff continues to be met.”

Lynne Galvin, RCM’s regional officer for Yorkshire, said: “I am delighted that the trust has signed the charter.

“They have a committed team of midwives and maternity support workers at the trust.

“This is a very positive move by the trust and I welcome their commitment to staff and the people they care for.”

Launched in June, the Caring for You campaign is encouraging all NHS trusts across the UK to sign up to the charter.

The charter outlines five key principles, which aim to ensure high quality health and safety practices, ensure that staff have access to flexible working patterns, to crackdown on bullying behaviours and to nurture a ‘compassionate and supportive workplace that cares for midwives and maternity support workers’.