Scandal-hit Shrewsbury NHS trust midwife elected as president of Royal College of Midwives

A former midwife from the scandal-hit Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust has been elected by members of the Royal College of Midwives as their new president.

Following a 30 year career in the NHS, Rebecca Davies recently retired from her role as a labour ward co-ordinator at the trust.

The Shrewsbury trust has been at the centre of the worst maternity care scandal in NHS history and is facing an independent enquiry and police investigation into nearly 1,900 cases of inadequate maternity care.

Following Ms Davies’ election, the RCM said she was aiming to bring “honesty, integrity, experience and passion” to her new role.

Ms Davies said “I will never fail to acknowledge the tragic events that happened in my trust, and I pay tribute to the way in which families who have been affected by them have conducted themselves, with strength and dignity. We owe it to them to ensure that the mistakes made are never repeated and lessons are learned.”

NHS England has pledged £96 million to improve maternity services in the NHS, to include dedicated funding for safety training for midwives and doctors.

The CQC has said it is concerned about maternity safety and has warned that two fifths of maternity units need to improve their performance on safety.

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