Work to develop new education standards for midwifery is set to be delayed due to the complexity of the task and the range of people the Nursing and Midwifery Council intends to consult.
The regulator, which is revamping education requirements for both nurses and midwives, had originally wanted to publish draft midwifery standards for consultation by spring 2018.
It previously said all universities would have to adopt the standards from September 2020, but some would have the option to do this a year earlier.
- NMC confirms new midwifery education standards by 2020
However, the NMC now plans to launch the consultation in spring 2019, according to NMC council papers published last week.
Under the proposed new timeline, universities would still need to update their courses in line with the new standards by September 2020.
The regulator said the changes would allow more time to speak with healthcare professionals and families before public consultation.
“In light of the complexity of the work involved and our ambition to maximise the level of stakeholder engagement, we have reviewed the original timetable for this work,” said the NMC papers.
“If agreed, this will increase the time available to engage with midwives, women, families, and healthcare professionals before public consultation on the new standards in 2019,” they added.
The NMC’s council will decide whether to approve the delay to the work at a meeting in London on Wednesday.
Work to update education requirements for nurses began ahead of that for midwives due to legislative changes to midwifey supervision.
The NMC’s public consultation on new nurse training standards recently closed on 12 September.
Article originally appeared on Nursing Times
The Institute cannot confirm the accuracy of this story or confirm that it presents a balanced view. If you feel this is inaccurate we would welcome your perspective and evidence that this is the case.
