NMC Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nursing Officer visit the School of Healthcare Sciences

NMC Chief Executive Officer Andrea Sutcliffe CBE and Welsh Government Chief Nursing Officer Sue Tranka marked this year’s International Day of the Midwife with a visit to the School of Healthcare Sciences, in order to find out more about our World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Midwifery Development.

On 5 May each year midwives and supporters of midwives and midwifery celebrate the International Day of the Midwife and this year focuses on the progress midwifery has made over the last 100 years. An integral part of that progress has been the work undertaken by the School of Healthcare Sciences’ WHO Collaborating Centre for Midwifery Development. Established in August 2016, the Centre forms part of an international collaborative network which supports and undertakes projects in support of WHO programmes at national, regional, and international levels.

Today the Centre director Professor Billie Hunter and deputy director Grace Thomas welcomed key members from the NMC, RCM and Welsh Government to find out more about the inspiring work of the Centre.

Professor Hunter said:

We are delighted to be celebrating the International Day of the Midwife 2022 by hosting a visit to our WHO Collaborating Centre from eminent guests…The theme of this year's International Day of the Midwife is 100 Years of Progress, and the event will be a perfect opportunity to share our WHO CC experiences of contributing to the progress made in strengthening international midwifery.

As well as providing information on the development of the Centre, and an introduction to the ongoing work, midwifery alumnus Alys Gower shared her experience of the WHO internship she undertook as a student midwife.  Centre directors also provided a detailed progress report on the successful implementation of the WHO Midwifery Assessment Tool for Education (MATE) in Romania. MATE offers a self-assessment tool for countries wishing to strengthen or develop midwifery education, and is a crucial early step towards strengthening midwifery practice across Europe.

During her visit, Sue Tranka made the announcement that Karen Jewell, Senior Midwifery Officer for Maternity and Early years for the Welsh Government, will now be referred to as the Chief Midwifery Officer (CMO) within the Welsh Government. This falls in line with the rest of the UK framework, and highlights the ongoing push for midwifery to be equally represented alongside nursing.

Furthermore, RCM Wales took advantage of the opportunity to announce the award winner for the RCM Wales Prize for Service Improvement. This was awarded to Helen Eferidge Midwifery-Led Unit Lead, Suzie Moore Lead Midwife for Education, Nicky Court Senior Lecturer, all from Swansea Bay University Health Board and Elizabeth Rees, consultant midwife from Hywel Dda Health Board – huge congratulations!

Finally, the day ended with the final words from our NMC CEO Andrea Sutcliffe:

[WHO Collaborative Centre is a] a great place to be on the International Day of the Midwife...[the collaborative centre] have a passion for woman and babies and what a great place to shine a beacon on that, both locally and internationally.

For further information on the World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Midwifery Development please visit our webpage.