SWB signs up to RCM Health and Wellbeing Charter

THE Maternity Department at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust has become one of the first units in the West Midlands to be members of the national campaign Caring For You Charter– a campaign run by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) that aims to improve health and wellbeing in the workplace for midwives, student midwives, and maternity support workers.

The Caring for You campaign, launched in June, aims to encourage trusts in the UK to work with the RCM representatives in the region to improve midwives, student midwives and maternity support workers’ health, safety and wellbeing at work. By looking after the staff, the RCM believes that this will further improve the care for mothers, babies and their families.

Commenting Julia Ellis RCMs Regional Officer for the West Midlands said; “A commitment to improving maternity staff’s health, safety and wellbeing at work is also a commitment to women and their babies and it’s fantastic that the maternity services at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust have signed the RCMs Caring for You charter. We know that well cared for maternity staff can provide the highest quality of care to women and their families.

The charter includes commitments to make sure that members of staff are taking adequate rest breaks as well as staying properly hydrated during their shifts. There is also a strong focus on fostering a positive working environment.”

Elaine Newell, Director of Midwifery, Women and Child Health at the Trust, said: “We are delighted to be one of the first Trusts in the West Midlands to sign up to this national campaign.

“We want to let our staff know that we are strongly committed to delivering a positive, caring and friendly working environment where every staff is listened to, recognised and valued. We believe that by looking care after our staff, we can deliver greater care to mothers, babies and their families.

“We look forward to discussing with our staff new ideas that can help us improve their health and wellbeing. At the same time, we want to find new ways that can make our staff feel more valued. We want to let them know that we are grateful for their contributions to the work at our Trust.”