Royal College of Midwives says NHS plan offers ‘hope’ – but warns delivery must include midwives and mums
RCM welcomes ambition of NHS 10-Year Plan but warns it must centre maternity staff and women’s voices

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM), the UK’s professional body and trade union for midwifery staff, has cautiously welcomed the Government’s newly published Ten-Year Health Plan — calling it “ambitious”, but warning that its success hinges on whether maternity staff and families are meaningfully involved in its delivery.
In a statement issued today (3 July), RCM Chief Executive Gill Walton (pictured) said:
“It’s been published at a time when maternity services are struggling more than ever and just as a rapid review into maternity services has been announced… For now, it offers us hope. Hope that if government works closely and in partnership with the RCM and other key stakeholders there is an opportunity for positive change.”
But she warned that this depends on whether frontline midwives are properly consulted and supported:
“We need a solid delivery plan, that engages all maternity staff and really considers their voices and experiences… Equally the voices of women and their families must be central to this as well.”
‘A missed opportunity’ on trauma-informed care
While the Government’s plan includes a handful of welcome changes — like digital maternity records, community hubs and expanded perinatal mental health services — it makes no mention of trauma-informed care, consent or respectful birth practices. This, say campaigners, is a significant and painful omission.
Laura-Rose Thorogood, CEO of Make Birth Better, told MadeForMums:
“We are incredibly concerned about the omission [of trauma-informed care]. Following on from the Birth Trauma Inquiry, little impact has been made to push forward systemic change — especially for Black and Brown women and birthing people, the queer community, disabled service users and other marginalised communities, all of whom are at risk of the poorest outcomes.”
She added that placing trauma-informed care at the heart of the 10-Year Plan is essential if meaningful progress is to be made:
“A rapid investigation is not going to unpick what is already inherently ingrained in our NHS. It needs to be part of the 10-Year Plan, with a clear strategic vision of how it will be achieved, with the service user voice at the heart of it.”
Births are rising and pressure is mounting
RCM’s response to the plan also highlights the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, which show that birth rates in England are rising again, putting more pressure on already overstretched services.
“It’s never been more important that the government gets the delivery of this plan and the rapid review into maternity services right,” said Gill Walton. “They owe this to staff who have held together our understaffed maternity services… They also owe it to every single family who has experienced poor care.”
Maternity services must lead prevention efforts
The RCM’s wider submission to the NHS consultation last year emphasised that maternity care isn’t just a clinical issue — it’s a cornerstone of long-term public health. As Walton put it:
“If we can get their care right and ensure women and their babies are leaving maternity services whole, healthy and happy, the NHS could potentially save millions of pounds on the future health of women and their children.”
Midwives are often the first point of contact with the NHS for pregnant women, especially those facing complex needs. Yet services remain chronically understaffed, with burnout and workforce attrition worsening year on year.
What happens next?
The government has promised a rapid review of maternity safety, set to report by December, and will launch a national maternity and neonatal taskforce. But critics say this review must be more than just another talking shop.
The RCM has said it will work in partnership to ensure any change is meaningful and lasting.
“The RCM stands ready to support, advise and hold the government to account on their promises in this plan,” said Walton.
But campaigners like Make Birth Better say the time for vague promises has passed.
“If it’s not [part of the 10-Year Plan],” said Thorogood, “then we will fall foul to another failed inquiry, with little positive outcome, and the statistics will remain unchanged, with women and birthing people dying or harmed."
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Ruairidh is the Digital Lead on MadeForMums. He works with a team of fantastically talented content creators and subject-matter experts on MadeForMums.