NMC teams up with GMC to create ‘necessary and timely’ maternity care resources

The joining of the teams comes after interim findings from the independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation last week revealed that maternity and neonatal services in England are failing to deliver consistent, safe and equitable care, with staffing pressures and structural racism among the most serious concerns.

In a joint blog post this week, the NMC and General Medical Council (GMC) highlighted the importance of multidisciplinary teams working together effectively, including midwives, nurses and doctors.

"So, we both felt that a joint GMC-NMC project to speak with one voice, showcase best practice and help to support high-quality and equitable care was both necessary and timely," wrote Tracey MacCormack, assistant director for midwifery at the NMC, and Cathy Finnegan, the GMC’s head of strategy and planning in the standards team.

The two resources, launched in tandem, include a new page on the NMC website that will offer a series of case studies to promote good practice and lessons to learn, as well as a new maternity page on the GMC’s ‘ethical hub’ part of its website.

The resources were created following recent and ongoing reports and investigations into maternity and neonatal services, such as those in East Kent and Nottingham, the regulators said.

Ms MacCormack of the NMC and Ms Finnegan of the GMC said they decided to take on a joint venture to help address these concerns and challenges in maternity care.

In a joint statement, they said: "Everyone has the right to safe, effective and compassionate care. But we know that is not always the reality. We know that the best care happens when multidisciplinary teams work together effectively, including doctors, midwives and nurses."

On the NMC website, a series of case studies have been published focusing on showcasing good practice, lessons to learn and experiences of nursing and midwifery professionals, as well as doctors, a student, and women and families.

The GMC ethical hub consists of several pages of advice, split by key themes such as teamworking, communication, treatment options and more.

Each tab has set out the areas of professional standards which are most relevant and there are signposts to guidance and resources from other organisations to create a more ‘joined-up approach’ to tackling concerns within maternity care.

Ms MacCormack and Ms Finnegan added: "We encourage the professionals on our respective registers to read and learn from the new resources, they can reflect on them, consider their own practice and use them to support their effective work with other professionals.

"It has been a very positive experience working together across our respective organisations and with the wide range of stakeholders who have given such insightful input.

"We hope that those working in maternity care find the resources useful."

Further information: https://www.nursinginpractice.com/latest-news/nmc-teams-up-with-gmc-to-create-necessary-and-timely-maternity-care-resources/