London, Wednesday 4th March 2026
A key component of ensuring maternity service provision that is safe, personalised and equitable, is the provision of a robust and sustainable model of relational care (known as Continuity of Carer) for all, across the UK. It’s important to say ‘Carer’ rather than care, because it’s the relationship that makes the difference.
This model means that a woman’s whole maternity journey is supported by an individual midwife who provides most of the midwifery care throughout, including during birth, and supports all other interactions with the service. So, they’re a bit like a key account holder. This includes attending appointments with a doctor or other specialist if required.
This model enables a relationship based on mutual trust and respect to develop between mother and midwife, encouraging clear and accurate communication, which is essential for safety. Too many of the tragic outcomes we’ve heard about have resulted from failure to listen to the mother. It also allows for a highly focused attention on the individual woman’s needs and her autonomy. Having this kind of relationship supports them to feel confident in raising concerns and makes it more likely that these concerns will be heard and acted on. It ensures that there is always someone who has ‘got their back’ however their journey unfolds.
We ask - what other approach will work to achieve the aspiration to become a maternity service that is truly able to ‘listen to women’?
We want all Trusts to have a clear pathway towards full Continuity of Carer for all, as the standard model throughout the maternity journey, and we support a targeted approach to the rollout. This means ensuring that the benefits of this model of care are received first by those who need it most – those groups that we know are most likely to have poorer maternity outcomes, and those who have previously experienced any form of loss or trauma.
To sum up, we see this well-evidenced model of care as fundamental to any proper reform of the maternity services. It's a much awaited quality improvement project - promised following the Better Births report. Without it we are simply acting as if no-one deserves safe, equitable and personalised maternity care, and we will continue to be haunted by ever more tragedies resulting from poor care. That surely can't be our common aspiration.
We hope that this page is of interest, especially to our colleagues in the maternity services improvement community.
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