After a two year wait due to the pandemic, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) welcomed the Princess Royal and the Duchess of Cambridge to the opening of their new London headquarters.
During their first joint official visit together, The Princess, Patron of the RCM, and The Duchess, Patron of the RCOG, heard more about the ways that the two organisations are working together to improve maternal health care.
The visit highlighted work to support and improve safety in maternity services in the UK and overseas including projects in Bangladesh and their response to the Ukrainian crisis.
During the visit, their Royal Highnesses joined a roundtable discussion on how to ensure the best possible maternity care for all women. Staff from the RCM and RCOG discussed the joint work that is happening to address continued inequalities and women with lived experience of maternity care shared their experiences, which is key to addressing the challenges.
The Royal visitors also spent time observing a demonstration of the newly developed Tommy’s App, a medical app which can be used by maternity staff to improve upon the current checklist method for antenatal risk assessment. A midwife demonstrated how this will work at antenatal appointments.
RCM’s Chief Executive, Gill Walton said:
“It’s great to officially open our new headquarters. Having the RCM’s Patron, The Princess Royal, and The Duchess of Cambridge here to mark the occasion has made it even more special. The past few years have been particularly tough for maternity services, so it’s been great to showcase some of the excellent work that midwives and all maternity staff are doing across the country.”
RCOG President, Eddie Morris said;
“These new headquarters mark an exciting chapter for us as they become home to a collection of women’s healthcare organisations that are dedicated to providing and advocating for, women’s healthcare. It has been a long-held ambition for the College that our new headquarters would foster collaboration across the sector and we are excited to see the opportunities working under one roof brings.
Photo by: Kate Darkins