On 30 March the Ockenden Review into maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust was published – it was the biggest review into any UK maternity service in the history of the NHS. In this episode hear directly from midwife Donna Ockenden about her team's work, and the bravery of the families who fought to have this report published. Donna also shares her hopes for widespread safety improvements and thoughts on more investment in maternity staff to deliver safer care. Gemma also sits down with RCM’s Chief Executive Gill Walton to hear her reaction to the report and more about how RCM members are coping with understaffed services

The reports Immediate and Essential Actions (IEAs) for services will impact all RCM members as the services they work in strive to implement them. While the IEAs are to be adopted by services in England, many other parts of the UK are examining them with a view to incorporating them into current work that’s underway to improve safety. RCM’s UK Director for Professional Midwifery Mary Ross-Davie also joins this episode to discuss each of the 15 IEAs and more on new guidance and tools the RCM has developed to support its members in improving safety and delivering high-quality maternity care.

Read RCM's initial response to Ockenden review here

Find more support and guidance in RCM's Safety Hub here