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The role of midwives in safe maternity care: insights from our investigations
Bringing a new life into the world is one of the most profound experiences a person can have. At the centre of this journey are midwives, skilled professionals who combine clinical expertise with compassion and advocacy. A midwife’s role is to support mothers through one of the most significant moments of their lives, with care that is safe, personalised, informed and empowering.
From early pregnancy through labour and into the postnatal period, midwives provide continuity, reassurance, and expert care. Their work plays a vital role in reducing preterm births, preventing stillbirths, and improving outcomes for babies and families. Just as importantly, midwives support emotional wellbeing by listening, guiding, and standing alongside mothers at every step of their journey.
Partnership that puts mothers at the centre
At the heart of good midwifery practice is partnership alongside other professional colleagues to optimise mothers and their families' care, experience and outcome. Midwives build trusting relationships through kindness, clear communication, and ensuring informed decision making for mothers and families. This collaborative approach ensures care is truly personalised and reflects individual needs, preferences, values, and aspirations for birth.
Every mother arrives with her own story. Differences in culture, beliefs, language, and expectations require sensitivity and adaptability, and midwives consistently rise to this challenge. By providing culturally safe and respectful care, midwives honour each person’s background while maintaining the highest standards of clinical safety. This balance of respect and expertise is a hallmark of good midwifery practice.
Professionalism and lifelong learning
Professionalism underpins everything midwives do. In the UK, the standards set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council guide and support practice, ensuring midwives remain accountable, competent, and trusted by the families they serve. Ongoing education, reflective practice, and revalidation allow midwives to continually grow their skills and adapt to evolving healthcare needs, which strengthens the quality and safety of care over time.
Insights from maternity safety investigations
Within the Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations (MNSI) programme, investigating maternity incidents across England offers a unique perspective on the contribution midwives make to safety and quality of care. These investigations consistently highlight the central role midwives play in recognising risk, supporting birth, and responding to change.
What our investigations tell us is clear: safety in maternity care relies on early recognition, timely escalation, and effective communication. Midwives are often the first professionals to notice subtle signs of maternal deterioration, fetal compromise, or deviations from the expected clinical course. Their vigilance, judgement, and advocacy are essential to keeping mothers and babies safe.
Supporting midwives to deliver their best
Midwifery is both emotionally and physically demanding, and midwives bring invaluable insight into the system pressures they face. Staffing challenges, workload demands, and burnout can make it harder to sustain the relationship-based care that defines good midwifery practice. Investigations show that harm is more likely when the environment prevents midwives from delivering these fundamentals effectively.
Yet even in the face of these challenges, midwives continue to make a profound difference. Their commitment, resilience, and compassion shine through every day.
A ripple effect that lasts
When midwives are supported, valued, and empowered to practise to their full potential, the benefits extend far beyond the birth itself. Strong, safe midwifery care helps create healthier families, stronger communities, and better starts for future generations.
Throughout this blog, MNSI uses the word mother to describe women and people who use maternity and newborn services. MNSI acknowledges that not all pregnant or birthing people identify as women or mothers. This position reflects the Supreme Court ruling in April 2025 that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.