Records of the Joint Working Party of the RCOG and the Royal College of Midwives on Minimum Standards of Care in Labour

Records of the Joint Working Party of the RCOG and the Royal College of Midwives on Minimum Standards of Care in Labour, including meeting papers and correspondence, and a copy of the final report.

A first RCOG report in 1994 on minimum standards of care in labour attempted to establish guidelines for staffing, equipment and general facilities on the labour ward. Following acceptance of the increased involvement of the consultant obstetrician in the labour ward, the Joint Working Group of the Royal College of Midwives and the RCOG aimed to produce guidance about the essential minimum midwife and medical staff numbers required to support women in labour. The final report was published in 1999 and acknowledged the value of multidisciplinary involvement, making recommendations to improve organisation, practice and result in safer childbirth.

Permission is required from RCOG senior management via the College Archivist for access to College records less than twenty years old.

Related material held at the RCOG may be found at the following references:

RCOG/M19 Records of a previous RCOG working party on minimum standards of care in labour

RCOG/C32 Joint Working Party: Toward Safer Childbirth

RCOG/C34 Joint Working Party of the RCOG and the Royal College of Midwives on the Clinical Learning Environment and Recruitment