MNMC Midwife key terms

The range of roles, activities and responsibilities a midwife is educated and authorised to perform, defined by law, regulation and professional standards, and limited to what she is competent to do safely.

The combination of knowledge, skills, judgement and professional attitudes that enables a midwife to perform a task or role safely and effectively in real practice settings, demonstrated rather than merely claimed.

A model in which the midwife is the lead professional for a woman with an uncomplicated pregnancy and birth, providing continuity, making decisions within her scope and referring when complications arise.

Care in which a woman is looked after by the same midwife or small team across pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period, so that trust is built and information is not lost between visits.

An approach that treats the woman as an individual with her own values, culture, preferences and rights, and shapes care around her needs through information, choice and shared decision-making.

A woman's voluntary agreement to a test, treatment or procedure after receiving understandable information about its purpose, benefits, risks and alternatives, given without pressure and recorded in her notes.

A conversation in which the midwife shares evidence-based options and the woman shares her values and preferences, and both agree on a plan of care together rather than the clinician deciding alone.

A woman's right to make her own decisions about her body and her care, even when her choice differs from professional advice, provided she has capacity and is properly informed.

The midwife's professional duty to speak up for a woman's rights, wishes and safety when she cannot do so herself or when the system is ignoring them, while respecting her expressed preferences.

The duty to keep a woman's personal and health information private, sharing it only with those who need it for her care, with her consent, or where the law requires disclosure.

The legal and ethical obligation of a midwife to provide a reasonable standard of safe care to every woman in her charge, and to act promptly when she sees a risk to health.

Being answerable for one's own actions, decisions and omissions as a midwife, including the duty to explain them, to keep records and to accept the consequences of practice that falls below standard.

A failure to provide the standard of care a reasonable midwife would give in similar circumstances, which causes harm to the woman or baby and gives rise to legal liability.

A midwife's continuing suitability to remain on the register, judged by her health, character, competence and conduct, and protected by regulators who investigate complaints and can restrict or remove practice rights.

The limits that keep the midwife-woman relationship professional and safe, preventing friendships, financial dealings, personal favours or other dual relationships that could exploit or harm the woman.

The conduct, attitudes and appearance expected of a midwife, including reliability, honesty, respect for colleagues and women, and adherence to the profession's code of conduct.

The formal set of principles and expected behaviours published by a regulator or professional body that guides and judges a midwife's practice, ethics and relationships with women and colleagues.

The core moral concepts that guide midwifery decisions: beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy and justice, used together to weigh benefits, harms, a woman's rights and fair use of resources.

A situation in which two or more ethical principles conflict, so that any choice requires sacrificing something important, and the midwife must reason carefully, involve others and document the decision.

A competent woman's decision to decline a recommended test, treatment or intervention after being informed of the risks; the midwife must respect it, document it and continue to provide support.

Care that recognises and respects a woman's culture, beliefs and identity, and challenges the power imbalances and biases that can make people from minority groups feel unsafe or unheard.

Fairness in access to and quality of care, achieved by giving more support to those with greater needs, so that all women can reach good outcomes regardless of income, location or background.

A person's ability to obtain, understand and use health information to make decisions; midwives must adapt their communication and materials to the woman's level of literacy and language.

The formal process of transferring responsibility for some or all of a woman's care to a doctor or specialist when a complication or risk is found, with clear communication and handover of information.

The timely process of raising a concern to a more senior clinician or emergency team when a woman's condition worsens or when safety is at risk, following agreed triggers and protocols.

The structured transfer of information and responsibility for a woman's care between midwives or teams, using a recognised format so that key risks and plans are not lost.

The accurate, timely and legible documentation of assessments, decisions, care given and communication with the woman, which supports continuity, accountability and legal evidence of professional practice.

The system by which an organisation is accountable for continuously improving care quality and safeguarding standards, through audit, guidelines, training, risk management and learning from incidents.

A systematic, ongoing effort to measure current care and test changes that make it safer, more effective and more responsive, using data such as audit results and women's feedback.

A structured comparison of actual practice against an agreed standard or guideline, used to identify gaps and drive improvement, distinct from research because it does not test new treatments.

The formal recording of an adverse event, near miss or unsafe situation so that it can be investigated, lessons learned and systems changed to reduce the chance of recurrence.

Raising a genuine concern about unsafe or unethical practice, internally or with an external regulator, in the public interest, with legal protection against retaliation when done properly.

Making care decisions by combining the best available research evidence, the midwife's clinical expertise and the woman's values and preferences, rather than habit or opinion alone.

The ongoing learning and reflective activity a midwife undertakes throughout her career to maintain and improve competence, usually recorded and required for continued registration.

The habit of thinking critically about one's own experiences and decisions, identifying what went well or poorly and what to change, and using that insight to improve future care.

A structured period of support and supervised practice for a newly qualified midwife, in which an experienced colleague guides her transition from student to confident, accountable practitioner.

A supportive developmental relationship in which a more experienced midwife guides a less experienced colleague's learning, confidence and career, distinct from formal assessment or line management.

Training in which midwives practise clinical and teamwork skills on manikins or in realistic scenarios, allowing rehearsal of rare emergencies and feedback without risk to real women or babies.

A woman's written or discussed preferences for labour and birth, used as a basis for conversation and shared planning, and reviewed openly if circumstances or her wishes change.