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Finding out what is happening in midwifery

The program today (and Active Birth workshop in Norwich, East Anglia) raised many familiar issues. Several times comments were made by group members that they felt “these things ( several practises were mentioned) only happen in Norwich!” I was able to point out that this was far from the case, that many others across the country have similar experiences. Of course, I feel privileged to be able to travel to widely and hear from midwives in so many cities and towns, and it makes it easy for me to spread the word about what is happening across the country.

England is a small country with a vast network of roads and excellent public transport links. Towns are only a few miles apart, and travel is easy. Modern communication, however, makes all this irrelevant, given that the internet and email can link everyone across the world with ease. Given all this, I find it very surprising that midwives often don’t know what is happening in the town down the road, let alone the major centres a few miles further away. They are surprised to hear about practises, research and programs that have been successful elsewhere, perhaps for many years.

Many of these successes are written up in the various midwifery Journals, of which the UK has a good number. Conferences and study days abound and are well publicised in professional journals and various on-line sites. Yet midwives on the whole don’t investigate what is going on, they have little curiosity and there seems to be a level of suspicion as well.

I can’t help feeling frustrated that more is not achieved in British midwifery. There are so many supports for midwifery - at a Government level, through legislation, within the Health Department, and at all levels of the hospital system. Perhaps if midwives “got out more” they would learn of their successes as a professional group and also discover other ways of doing things. The information is there, and to not take advantage of it seems such a waste of opportunity.

Posted by andrea at March 17, 2004 06:13 AM

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