The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has published its updated Maternity Service Standards Framework, which provides practical guidance to help support commissioners and service providers to deliver safer, more equitable and compassionate maternity care across the UK.
The maternity system is operating in a period of profound challenge and change. Services are increasingly caring for women whose pregnancies are more complex than ever before. Equally, staffing pressures remain ever-present and difficult working conditions not only impacting workforce wellbeing and retention, but the delivery of personalised, safe and compassionate care.
In updating its Maternity Service Standards Framework, the RCOG aims to help support services to be consistently safe, equitable, compassionate and responsive. The Framework sets clear standards linked to many the improvement areas identified by previous maternity investigations and the interim National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation (NMNI) report this week.
The NMNI interim report again highlights how urgent the need for improvement is, both for the families accessing maternity services and those working in them. The Framework provides practical, evidence-based guidance to help services deliver personalised, high-quality, and compassionate care while improving safety and supporting staff wellbeing in today’s challenging environment. This includes placing equity front and centre, recognising that women and babies from Black and Asian backgrounds continue to face significantly poorer maternity outcomes than white women.
Cross-Cultural Communication and Language Support: Standards for Maternity Care and Women’s Health
Alongside the updated Maternity Service Standards Framework, the College has also today published ‘The Cross-Cultural Communication and Language Support: Standards for Maternity Care and Women’s Health’. These standards set out practical, actionable steps for NHS commissioners, providers, agencies, and interpreters. It calls for free access to professional interpreters, robust documentation of language needs, gender-appropriate and culturally safe communication, and clear processes for feedback and informed refusal. To find out more click here.
Professor Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said:
“The journey to childbirth is one of immense hope and reward, for women, families, and the dedicated professionals who support them. As President of the RCOG, I believe this updated Framework and the Cross-Cultural Communication document can drive real improvements in maternity care aligned to the ambitions of the current National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation.
“However, achieving these standards requires system-wide commitment from leadership, commissioners, providers and staff working together, and we urge the government to not to lose sight of funding and workforce shortages within this. The RCOG remains committed to supporting our membership, and working with our partners across the maternity system, to deliver a safer service, improved outcomes for women and babies and a better-supported workforce.
“My sincere thanks go to the RCOG Officer team for their leadership in developing this Framework, to colleagues across the maternity system for their invaluable contributions, and to Geeta Kumar for her outstanding guidance in steering the process. I would also like to express my gratitude to Hassan Shehata for his vision and passion in collaborating with experts to produce the Cross-Cultural Communication document.”
Jane Plumb MBE FRCOG FRSA, Women’s Voices Lead for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said:
“Women, birthing people and families all deserve maternity care that is safe, respectful and responsive to what matters most to them. This updated Framework is an important step towards making that a reality - ensuring that every voice is heard and acted upon, not just acknowledged. It’s about embedding partnership at every level, so that care is personal, equitable and built on trust.
“Alongside resources like the Maternity Services Standards Framework, the complexity of modern maternity care demands a workforce that is skilled, supported and valued, together with systems that learn and adapt. We urge the UK government, policy makers, commissioners and providers to invest now in the people and processes that will deliver rapid, sustainable improvements across the maternity system. Women, birthing people and families cannot afford to wait.”
The RCOG remains absolutely committed to supporting improvements in maternity safety within the system through its role as an educator: developing the curriculum, raising standards of care through the development of clinical guidance, supporting the career development of clinicians through exams, professional development courses and events, and support services for its members. The College also delivers research and quality improvement programmes that contribute to improvements in maternity safety and as part of its influencing and advocacy activity, ensures system wide improvements are identified and delivered.