How does supervision of midwives work?
Supervision of midwives is a statutory system (required by law, through an Act of Parliament) for protection of the public from poor midwifery practice by monitoring midwives’ practice and providing support and guidance to every midwife in the UK.
This work is done by experienced midwives who train to become supervisor of midwives (SoM).
All midwives, whether practising in hospitals, the community or self-employed, have a named SoM and are legally required to be supervised.
SoMs provide support, advice and guidance to individual midwives on practice issues whilst making sure the midwife complies with the Midwives Rules and encouraging further development of skills and knowledge. They also provide professional leadership.
If you are interested in becoming a supervisor of midwives
Contact your nearest Local Supervising Authority Midwifery Officer (LSAMO).
Futher information
LSA Midwifery Officers' Forum website
Documents
A new publication, Modern supervision in action, a practical guide for midwives, has been produced the LSA Midwifery Officers National (UK) Forum and endorsed by the NMC. It replaces the ENB publication Supervision in Action (1999).
Modern supervision in action: a practical guide for midwives [PDF]
Standards for the Preparation and Practice of Supervisors of Midwives [PDF]
NMC Circular 32/2007: Standards for supervised practice of midwives [PDF]| Annexe 1 [PDF]
Supervisor of midwives roadshows
The NMC holds a series of roadshows across the UK to hear the views of SoMs and seek their help in policy development, and keep them up to date on the work of the Midwifery Committee and Council.
Current SoM roadshows
Relevant advice sheets
First created: 04/10/2006
Last modified: 29/09/2009