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CapitalMidwife
The CapitalMidwife Programme has been developed in response to the growing need to apply ‘once for London’ solutions to the challenges faced by over 6,000 midwives who make up the London midwifery workforce. These challenges include staff shortages, increased workloads, retention of staff and policy changes.
As part of our work, we are developing a range of products to enable London midwives to develop and grow throughout their career. By developing a framework to be used across London, we can ensure that our midwives are supported wherever they live and work.
Every London Midwife is a CapitalMidwife and should be valued, respected, listened to and supported to reach their full potential.
Watch the CapitalMidwife video.
For general enquiries, please contact england.capitalmidwife@nhs.net
We have committed to engage, involve and collaborate with systems, organisations and individual midwives; and will bring the workforce together to celebrate midwifery, share ideas and best practice, and promote midwifery as the profession of choice.
The CapitalMidwife programme is supported by a steering group and membership includes midwives and other key stakeholders from across London.
The programme is accountable to the CapitalNurse board.
CapitalMidwife was established in April 2018 by the regional maternity lead for London, chief nurse for London and the programme director for CapitalNurse and is jointly sponsored by Health Education England, NHS England and NHS Improvement.
CapitalMidwife International Recruitment
Recruitment is underway for internationally educated midwives wanting to work and live in the diverse and multicultural city of London.Visit the CapitalMidwife International website to find out more.
CapitalMidwife EDI Advisory
Following the publication of the Turning the Tide report, which details the experiences of ethnic minority maternity staff working in England during and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, CapitalMidwife formed an EDI Advisory Group made up of ethnic minority maternity leaders. This group has designed and is piloting two products to support London maternity staff from ethnic minority groups: the CapitalMidwife Anti-Racism Framework, and the CapitalMidwife Fellowship.
CapitalMidwife Anti-Racism Framework
The CapitalMidwife Anti-Racism Framework was piloted in October 2021. London maternity services are being supported to develop and embed anti-racism initiatives, and the Framework will be developed further based on any learnings from this initial roll-out.
The Framework was developed in response to the Turning the Tide report, which was published in 2020 and details the experiences of ethnic minority NHS staff working in maternity services in England during and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Framework includes nine initiatives, ranging from making sure ethnic minority staff are in leadership roles, to debiasing people management processes. Trusts will be given awards for implementing these initiatives, and we hope to announce the first awards shortly.
Implementing the framework will support ethnic minority staff, help maternity services meet NHS guidelines, and directly benefit the families we care for.
Access the Anti-Racism Framework
CapitalMidwife Ethnic Minority Midwives Fellowship
The CapitalMidwife Fellowship was launched in December 2021 in response to the Turning the Tide report. It is designed to support band 6 and 7 midwives from ethnic minority groups to develop and move into leadership roles. Over the six months, Fellows will learn leadership and QI skills, and develop a network of peers, mentors, coaches, and sponsors who can support their career progression throughout the Fellowship and beyond.
There are up to 30 places available on the Fellowship, with at least one place available per maternity unit. Priority will be given to midwives who:
• Have been at band 6 or 7 for two or more years
• Have applied for a promotion/higher band but have been unsuccessful
• Ethnic minority groups that face the most discrimination, as reported through the national NHS Staff Survey
• Will be enrolling onto the programme for the first time
• Submit a comprehensive application form
Read the CapitalMidwife Fellowship Information Pack
Growing our culture of kindness webinars
CapitalMidwife is carrying out webinars for all London midwives around the theme of ‘growing our culture of kindness’. Discussions have included the importance of speaking up, civility, and the role of the PMA. Recordings of the webinars are available on CapitalMidwife’s YouTube page.
CapitalMidwife Civility Toolkit
The CapitalMidwife civility toolkit contains ten evidence-based, easy-to-follow initiatives and resources that can improve civility in the workplace. They are based on ideas that came from the CapitalMidwife webinars about ‘growing our culture of kindness’, and the NHS civility and respect toolkit Some of the initiatives include empowering people to become active bystanders, promoting speaking up, and implementing a ‘first name’ and ‘real name’ approach.
CapitalMidwife Preceptorship Framework and Quality Mark
CapitalMidwife is helping to ensure all London midwives have the skills and confidence they need as they begin their midwifery career.
A preceptorship framework has been developed, which lists all the tools and support that newly registered midwives should have access to during their preceptorship. It is used by maternity units across London to standardise and quality-assure preceptorships. The framework was developed in partnership with midwives working in education and practices across London, and with input from student midwives.
In early 2021, CapitalMidwife is awarding a quality mark to maternity units that have demonstrated they comply with the CapitalMidwife preceptorship framework, and the recently published NMC principles for preceptorship. The quality mark will indicate that a maternity unit follows best practice for preceptorships, invests in midwives and supports their professional development at the start of their career. Maternity units can promote their preceptorships by including the quality mark on literature, recruitment adverts etc.
CapitalMidwife has assessed hospital trusts preceptorship programmes against the framework, and is awarding Preceptorship Quality Marks to hospital trusts that comply with it. A Preceptorship Quality Mark shows that the trust follows best practice for preceptorships, invests in midwives and supports their professional development at the start of their career. As of June 2021, 14 out of 18 trusts have been awarded a Quality Mark. Congratulations to:
· Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
· Barts Health NHS Trust
· Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
· Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
· Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
· Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
· The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
· Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
· Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
· Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
· Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
· Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
· North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust
· Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
· University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
· Whittington Health NHS Trust
Access the preceptorship framework.
CapitalMidwife midwifery workforce survey
CapitalMidwife, in partnership with King’s College London, developed a London midwifery workforce survey. The aim of the survey was to understand the experiences and challenges faced by midwives across the capital. In addition, feedback sessions with student midwives and webinars with Heads of Midwifery and Lead Midwives for Education were undertaken.
Over 900 midwives responded to the survey, which has been invaluable in further developing our understanding of their shared experiences, and the implications for our programme.
Following our research, we have produced a report, Listening to London’s midwives.
We have also developed an infographic, highlighting the report’s key findings.
We would like to highlight support and resources for you or any of your staff who may have experienced any of the issues highlighted in our report. The following organisations have further information and resources on their website:
Midwifery skills passport
CapitalMidwife has worked with an expert midwifery panel to develop a midwifery skills passport. The passport gives midwives the flexibility to work across London without having to undertake repetitive training whenever they begin working for a new trust.
The passport includes an up-to-date record of a midwife’s professional development – identifying where training has taken place and where additional reassessment or updates are required. It is easily accessible and simple to use, meaning midwives can take their passport wherever they go.
This tool is for band 5-7 midwives to record essential skills, supporting professional development, continuous quality improvement and safe effective practice.
CapitalMidwife Health and Wellbeing Taskforce
CapitalMidwife is inviting London maternity staff to join a dedicated Taskforce that will help improve the health and wellbeing of the workforce.
The multi-disciplinary group, which will be known as the CapitalMidwife Health and Wellbeing Taskforce, will be made up of representatives from across maternity services – from maternity support workers, to student midwives, to anaesthetists. They will work together to identify the main health and wellbeing issues facing London maternity staff, then design an approach to address them. The Taskforce will be aligned with the National Health and Wellbeing Taskforce, and the London Regional Health and Wellbeing Hubs.
Further information is available here. Staff who would like to be involved should complete this expression of interest form. Applications close at 23:59 on Sunday 5th June.
Join in the chat
Follow us on Twitter @CapitalMidwife and use the hashtag #CapitalMidwife. Please tweet us with your comments, ideas and questions.
Become a CapitalMidwife champion
We have a group of committed champions: practicing midwives and students who meet regularly and actively support the CapitalMidwife programme.
CapitalMidwife champions work alongside some of the leaders in London midwifery, they help bring the workforce together to celebrate midwifery, share ideas and best practice, and promote midwifery as the profession of choice.
Email england.capitalmidwife@nhs.net to express your interest in becoming a CapitalMidwife champion.
I’d like to work with CapitalMidwife
If you have any projects or ideas around how we can continue to support midwives across London, please contact england.capitalmidwife@nhs.net
The CapitalMidwife brand and preceptorship quality mark
Using the CapitalMidwife brand and the preceptorship quality mark can help to enhance and support your work or recruitment efforts, and highlight them to the wider midwifery workforce.
If you’d like to use the CapitalMidwife brand or to support your work, or apply for the preceptorship quality mark, please email england.capitalmidwife@nhs.net to apply.
General enquiries
The CapitalMidwife programme is working collaboratively with midwives, organisations and other stakeholders. We would love to hear your thoughts on how you think CapitalMidwife can support the midwifery workforce across London.
For any general enquiries, please email us at england.capitalmidwife@nhs.net.