Midwifery Led Care

2688 Words6 Pages

This essay aims to provide an overview of midwifery-led care, emphasizing its role in supporting women, newborns and families throughout the entire childbirth continuum. Through a detailed explanation of the role and scope of the midwife, this essay aims to highlight the importance of midwifery-led care in shaping positive outcomes for service users. Furthermore, it seeks to delve into the concept of the midwife as an autonomous practitioner and a crucial member of the multidisciplinary team (MDT), highlighting the impact of this dynamic on the provision of midwifery-led care. In examining the unique care qualities offered by midwives, this essay will explore the role of the midwife and the advantages of this for women, childbearing individuals, newborns and families. Within the United …show more content…

The subsequent sections of this essay will explore the professional, legal, and ethical frameworks that serve as key components for midwifery-led care. A key piece of legislation such as the Human Rights Act (1998) will be examined, alongside the professional and ethical guidelines established by the ICM and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Lavender and Chapple (2004) establish in their definition that midwifery-led care encompasses a responsibility for midwives to comprehensively assess and develop care plans for women and their families. These plans are required to consistently address the physical, psychological, and social needs of the woman throughout the childbirth continuum. Despite this publication being over two decades old, this definition continues to resonate in midwifery-led care globally, as the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) definition does not differ from that stated above (ICM,

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