Maternity friends and family test will help to deliver better care say midwives

Commenting on the announcement today by NHS England of the introduction of the Friends and Family Test for maternity services, Louise Silverton, director for midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “We welcome this announcement.

"There are no better judges of maternity services than the women who use them and this helps to put them firmly at the centre of care.

"This will be very valuable feedback on how well these women, their babies and their families are being treated and cared for.

“We would encourage as many women as possible to take part and say how well our maternity services - good or bad – are performing.

"Poor services can then be identified and improved and good services can be emulated, so that we can keep moving towards safer and higher quality care.”