Kentish Express Ashford & District
Trust signs up to charter to offer staff more support
The maternity unit at Ashford’s William Harvey Hospital is working with the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) to enhance the support available for midwives and other maternity staff.
The unit is part of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, which has signed up to the RCM’s Caring for You Charter, part of the RCM’s Caring For You campaign, which aims to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of maternity staff.
Launched in June last year, the campaign is aiming to get NHS organisations across the UK to sign up to the Caring for You Charter. Over half of all NHS trusts and boards in the UK have now signed-up to the charter.
East Kent Hospitals’ chief nurse and director of quality, Sally Smith, said: “East Kent Hospitals is dedicated to best practice, and ensuring that our women and their babies receive the safest and best of care.
“By signing the RCM’s ‘Caring for You Charter’, we’re demonstrating a tangible commitment to the development of our staff, the endorsement of living our values and caring for each other as well as the wellbeing of our mothers and their babies.
“We’re very pleased to be working collaboratively with the RCM, and we’ll continue to strive to exceed expectations in our maternity care for women and their families and also deliver on building and maintaining compassionate, caring and listening teams with all of our staff.”
Clare Livingstone, the Royal College of Midwives’ regional officer, applauded the progress made at William Harvey Hospital.
She said: “This has been possible with the dedication of our workplace reps and the willingness of the unit’s leadership team to engage with us and the wider maternity team.
“They have committed hard working midwives and maternity support workers, led by an enthusiastic management team.
“In signing the charter they are demonstrating that the welfare of their staff is of paramount importance and this will have a very positive impact on those who work here, and the people they care for.”