This document discusses the importance of dignity and respect for women in maternity services. It references a video about women who felt their dignity was not respected during childbirth experiences. It explores how social norms and the authority of medical professionals can influence women to conform without fully understanding what is happening or consenting. The document emphasizes the midwife's role in ensuring informed consent and respecting human rights. It cites international organizations that promote dignity and human rights-based care during childbirth.

1. DIGNITY
And Respect in the maternity services
Mandatory training for midwives
Dignity
Created by Lauren Smith, final year student midwife at Kingston University

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSndLnDdKPU
Watch video

3. How does the video initially
make you feel as a midwife?

4. Why do women expect to
leave their dignity at the
door?

5. The concept of ‘leave your dignity at the door’ is linked with the ‘social norm’
of today’s society.
Social Norms are an unwritten set of rules which are expectations on how to
behave.
Can you think of other examples of ‘social norms’?

6. How could midwives have
improved Hollie’s feelings?

7. Discuss midwives’ use of
language and its affects on
women relating to Joanne’s
story.

8. Explore the importance of
the midwives’ role during
Hannah’s experience.

9. In society we conform to The Authority Principle – the idea that a
person’s tendency is to comply with people in position of power, for
example in the maternity services, doctors and midwives.
Women may not have an entire understanding of what is happening but
they conform to what they are told.
It’s a midwife’s role to ensure women make informed decision and
willingly consent.

10. What could have been changed to
ensure all of the women felt their
dignity was respected?
For example, Sarah feeling exposed by the midwife leaving the door open could have easily been avoided by
ensuring the door was shut.

11. How could YOU change
your practice to ensure women feel
dignified and ensure their human
rights are met?

12. NMC CODE
1.Treat people as individuals and uphold their Dignity.
To achieve this, you must:
1.1 treat people with kindness, respect and compassion
1.2 make sure you deliver the fundamentals of care effectively
1.3 avoid making assumptions and recognise diversity and individual choice
1.4 make sure that any treatment, assistance or care for which you are responsible is delivered
without undue delay, and
1.5 respect and uphold people’s human rights.

13. Birth rights UK
‘We believe that all women are entitled to respectful
maternity care that protects their fundamental rights to
dignity, autonomy, privacy and equality.’
Dignity in Childbirth Campaign started in 2013 after the Dignity
in childbirth survey.

14. World Health Organisation
recommendations: intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience, 2018.
“The guideline highlights the importance of woman-centred care to
optimize the experience of labour and childbirth for women and their
babies through a holistic, human rights-based approach.”

15. National and International agencies promoting Dignity and Respect for women in
maternity services
What can you do to help?

16. Midwives are advocates for women.
YOU are an advocate for women.

17. References
• Birth Rights. (2018). Birthrights. [online] Available at: http://www.birthrights.org.uk/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].
• CQC (2017). Care Quality Commission. [online] Available at: http://www.cqc.org.uk/ [Accessed 20 Dec. 2017].
• Equality Human Rights (2018). Human Rights | Equality and Human Rights Commission. [online] Available at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/human-rights [Accessed 8 Jan.
2018].
• Images.google.co.uk. (2017). Google Images. [online] Available at: https://images.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl [Accessed 19 Nov. 2017].
• Matiti, M. and Baillie, L. (2011). Dignity in healthcare. London: Radcliffe Pub.
• McLeod, S. (2018). Simply Psychology. [online] Simply Psychology. Available at: https://simplypsychology.org/ [Accessed 1 Mar. 2018].
• NMC (2017). The Nursing & Midwifery Council. [online] Available at: https://www.nmc.org.uk/ [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].
• Oxford Dictionaries | English. (2017). dignity | Definition of dignity in English by Oxford Dictionaries. [online] Available at: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/dignity [Accessed 20
Dec. 2017].
• World Health Organization. (2018). WHO recommendations: intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience. [online] Available at:
http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/intrapartum-care-guidelines/en/ [Accessed 2 Mar. 2018].