The new modelA-EQUIP is a continuous improvement process, designed to build personal and professional resilience among midwives to enhance the quality of care provided for women and their babies. It also aims to help staff prepare for their professional revalidation. The process will be supported by professional midwifery advocates, which are midwives who have undergone training in order to deploy the system to the workforce.
Operational guidance will be available from 1 April, providing information for the profession, leaders, managers, providers of maternity services, commissioners and higher education institutes. Blogs are available on the NHS England website and you can join the #A-EQUIP conversation on Twitter.
BackgroundSince 1902, professional development and support for midwives has been provided through statutory supervision. A series of legislative changes has led to the function of local supervising authorities and statutory supervision of midwifery to be removed.
To develop the new model, NHS England has engaged with a range of key stakeholders across the system and has worked with a number of pilot sites to test and evaluate the process. .