Support for Midwives across Coventry and Warwickshire

Maternity units across Coventry and Warwickshire have launched a new scheme to provide additional help for midwives.

The Advocating and Educating for Quality Improvement (A-EQUIP) model, produced by NHS England, aims to support midwives at South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and George Eliot Hospitals NHS Trust.

The three trusts have teamed up with Coventry University to implement the model, which provides clinical supervision to support the personal and professional needs of student and qualified midwives. The initiative also supports sharing of best practice and recommending quality improvements to enhance local maternity services.

The team behind the A-EQUIP have already received national recognition for their work, as they were shortlisted for a prestigious national trophy at the Royal College of Midwives’ annual awards last month.

To aid with the new midwifery supervision model, which will be rolled-out nationally, there will be 25 Professional Midwifery Advocates (PMA) in Coventry and Warwickshire. The purpose of these roles is to provide an impartial service, offering advice and identifying improvements. By introducing this new support model, it will develop and enhance the care midwives provide to women and their families.

Wasps Rugby Club have chosen the new initiative to be one of the local projects they are supporting by providing venues for events and promotional material.

Linda Ward, Lead PMA said: “We are really excited to launch the A-EQUIP model which will make a real difference to all the midwives across the three trusts.

“The model will provide key components to support with safety and transparency to allow women and families receive the best care.”

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