Received from: RCM
Building an inclusive maternity workforce is critical to ensuring midwives and maternity support workers and the women and people they care for feel safe and listened to.
Across the UK there are a growing number of neurodivergent healthcare professionals, with the true figure unknown due to fear of discrimination and lack of diagnosis. We know many students with neurodivergent conditions would like to train to become midwives but may be put off because they fear the course doesn’t make allowances for their condition.
The RCM has been campaigning to ensure that midwifery education is a place of acceptance and an environment where neurodiverse students can thrive as they train to become midwives.
The RCM wants to encourage people from a range of backgrounds and neurominorities into the profession. This is vital as midwives help mothers and families from a range of backgrounds and neurotypes. They deserve to be cared for by people who understand the challenges they face.
Congress calls for:
i. further investment in healthcare and trade union education that supports and widens acceptance of neurodivergent individuals in the NHS workforce
ii. campaign for mandatory neurodiversity awareness training for all NHS staff as part of their EDI mandatory training.
Royal College of Midwives