Professional values and midwifery practice
Accountability sits with you
The NMC Code organises expectations under four themes: prioritise people, practise effectively, preserve safety, and promote professionalism and trust. Questions in this domain reward the answer that keeps the woman at the centre while keeping you accountable for your own actions.
Key concepts: consent (valid consent is informed, voluntary and given by someone with capacity; in labour it is an ongoing conversation, not a signature); confidentiality and its lawful exceptions (risk of serious harm, safeguarding, court order, public interest); safeguarding as everyone's duty, including female genital mutilation and domestic abuse; duty of candour when something has gone wrong; raising concerns through Freedom to Speak Up or the chain of command; professional boundaries; delegation (you remain accountable for tasks you delegate); and scope of practice - you may decline a task outside your competence.
Traps
- "I did what I was told" is never a defence; accountability cannot be delegated upwards.
- Treating kindness as friendship: social media contact, gifts or personal involvement breach boundaries.
- Assuming a woman with a mental illness or learning disability lacks capacity without a proper assessment.
- Keeping quiet about a colleague's error to protect team harmony.
Worked example
You notice a colleague has omitted a prescribed dose of antibiotics for a woman with chorioamnionitis. The professional response is: attend to the woman first, inform the shift coordinator and prescriber, be open and apologise to the woman (duty of candour), complete an incident report, and support your colleague - not conceal the omission or document it as given.
Rule of thumb
Ask: Is it safe, is it in my scope, is it honest, and would I be comfortable defending it at a fitness-to-practise hearing?