Caring for You: Refresh, rejuvenate and reinstate

Chronic staff shortages, unrelenting workloads, extended shifts, missed breaks and poor culture – work-related stress issues can have a scarring effect to overall mental and physical health. It can also seriously affect the quality and safety of care that members strive to provide to women and families. That is why the RCM is refreshing its Caring for You campaign – placing onus back into the hands of the employers and holding them accountable for the health, safety wellbeing and culture in the workplace.

The RCM is calling for employers to sign the new Caring for You charter, with fresh commitments on health, safety and wellbeing as well as rejuvenating its working relationship with RCM activists and branches. The charter commitments are strategies that the employer should be applying as part of the employment contract and in compliance with Health and Safety Legislation, Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards for Midwifery and Education.

Ensuring basic measures such as adequate rest breaks, hydration and nutrition are implemented is key. Employers must embrace a flexible working pattern and be more supportive when it comes to students and newly qualified staff as well as more mature members of staff. That is not to say that the previous RCM goodies, tea breaks, pampering sessions and smaller elements are unimportant. On the contrary, these elements do lift spirits and make members feel valued, however we want to see and longer and more sustainable model put in place for ongoing health safety and wellbeing. 

The RCM calls for all NHS Trusts/Health Boards to acknowledge their legal duties and their commitment to provide safe, healthy working environments compliant with:

• H&S Legislation
• Health & Safety at work Act 1974
• NMC Standards for Midwifery
• NMC Standards for Education
• The four countries NHS strategies
• We ask that all CEOs and Workforce leaders formally agree to the signing of the RCM
• Caring For You 2022 Charter of Commitments.
• Ensuring registrants can work within their NMC code of practice and provide safe high-quality care and positive experience for mothers, families, and their babies.

The RCM will provide its activists with action plans to help implement a good Caring for You model in the workplace. Member engagement is also very important in this work. We want to hear member feedback to find out what is working and how we can improve. To keep connecting with you, the RCM will hold surveys and meetings to monitor and evaluate how you feel about the campaign refresh.

Over 140 NHS organisations have signed the charter and are committed to implementing the Caring for You initiative in their branch.

Who has signed the previous charter?