Professional culture wars in maternity care: we should focus on shared values, not differing beliefs (Nuffield Trust, 4 October 2024)

Summary

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) recent national review of maternity services describes how toxic interprofessional cultures are impacting on quality of care. Multiple inquiries have found that poor multidisciplinary teamwork during childbirth causes delays in emergency intervention, as well as birth trauma, with recommended change slow to come. Lord Darzi’s recent report on the wider NHS, which describes the “succession of scandals and subsequent inquiries into maternal care”, suggested that deeper conversations may need to be had on issues such as culture in maternity services.

This blog describes some of the professional culture dynamics in maternity services, why it matters when they clash, and suggests how focusing on our shared values can help us move towards resolution. We should not shy away from a problem because it is difficult to solve.