Supporting midwives to work in partnership with people in their care for The Nursing and Midwifery Council

Every birth is unique, and everyone in maternity care wants to feel that their feelings and wishes are listened to in the care they receive.

The Nursery and Midwifery Council (NMC) wants to support midwives to work in partnership with women and families, to ensure the best possible experiences during pregnancy, birth and postnatally. They commissioned us to work with them to create a campaign and resources, informed by audience insight and behavioural science, to help midwives to deliver person-centred care.

To shape our approach, we held a strategy workshop, carried out a literature review and conducted a COM-B behavioural diagnosis. We used the insights gleaned in this phase to co-create an inspiring campaign celebrating women’s stories of the care they received – in their own words.

Under the proposition ‘The best midwifery care happens in partnership’, these stories highlighted the positive impact of active listening on the experiences and outcomes for people receiving care.

The resources were hosted on NMC’s owned channels and on partner social media, and NMC also held a webinar featuring a discussion with two of the women who shared their stories and supported the campaign, which was positively received by midwifery students and professionals.

We continue to work with the NMC to develop two further campaigns on leadership, and holistic care.