Midwives are part of a multidisciplinary team; this includes doctors and allied professionals, which provides care for women and babies. An interface with other professional groups and multidisciplinary education is essential (RCOG & RCM 1999) in delivering optimal care to the client group. Support workers play an important part in providing maternity care. The Government has expressed concern that there is a potential threat to public protection by unregulated support workers (Health Service Circular 1999). LSA can contribute to a “practical scheme” of regulation for these personnel.
The government has indicated an intention to promote involvement of consumers in the health agenda. Developments in information technology (IT) offer scope for public access to information about the LSA function. IT can also be optimised to benchmark clinical activity and manpower resources in each region to create a national profile that can be audited against the National Service Framework.
LSA are committed to building on the past success of statutory supervision of midwives through harnessing existing structures that are proven to be effective and integrating these with new structures contributing to wider developments in the modern NHS. This statutory function is funded with public money and the midwifery officers are accountable for the efficient use of these limited financial resources. Public safety continues to be the driving force of statutory supervision of midwives. To make the process transparent for all stakeholders, the midwifery officers have agreed a strategy to ensure consistency and equity in the application of this function across England.
