Why RCM supports employees to use and learn Welsh

I’m a midwife, and I’m also writing a PhD on the subject of using the Welsh language from the time when someone is in labour and giving birth. 

I spoke to many midwives and women when carrying out my research. Some midwives described a more personal, or comfortable aspect of working in Welsh. Others acknowledge that the provision of care is no less in English, but that the relationship with the woman is different.

Midwives and women agree that using the Welsh language is rewarding, and provides a sense of safety and more personal connections to the experience of giving birth.

A more comfortable birth experience through the use of Welsh

As a woman delivering babies in a hospital in Wales, I also have personal experience of receiving care in both Welsh and English. Although I studied in English and I’m fluent in both languages I felt that care through the medium of Welsh had made the experience more comfortable and less awkward.

When I gave birth to my baby, communication was easier and more effective when I described my concerns and there was a sense of partnership in the care.

Watch a mum and midwives from Bronglais Hospital discussing how important it is to use Welsh in this field: 

Expressing pain in your first language

In maternity care, the relationship between a woman and a midwife is short but important, with the partnership based on trust, up-to-date information sharing and emotional support.

Research shows that using your first language contributes to an individual’s understanding of their health condition, what is happening around them, and how to respond to future care. Self-expression, emotion and pain are also better communicated when the patients use their mother tongue. 

I have spoken to women who say that the use of Welsh is necessary when they are at their weakest. In some situations, the ability to speak English vanishes during labour and birth. 

In providing Welsh language maternity service, the partnership between a woman and midwife is based on the shared understanding of the important particular history, culture and characteristics of Welsh speakers. As a result, women are more likely to feel safe, and have better self-control, with a more personalised maternity care experience.

An experience you’ll never forget

The experience of giving birth stays with women forever and can change them and the child’s future. The feelings of relief and comfort described by the Welsh women who received the offer and who used Welsh in childbirth, shape their experience but also how they reflect on it. 

Most learn about pregnancy, birth and upbringing, by women sharing experiences and stories. The Welsh language and the use of Welsh are an important part of the story.

The advantages to midwives as employees

The advantages of using Welsh in maternity services are similar on both sides. Midwives and women acknowledge that the feeling of using the Welsh language is beneficial and adds to the experience. 

Being supported to use my first language in the workplace is very important to me. My language is part of who I am. Like the girls I help in my work, I feel more at ease in the workplace when I can converse with colleagues in Welsh without any obstacles. 
In addition, midwives who speak Welsh are given the opportunity to use and be recognised for their linguistic skill as a valuable part of the service. 

Newborn services are also an opportunity to promote the benefits of using the Welsh language to parents bringing up the next generation of children, and can therefore influence the future of the language

Welsh language jobs in a Welsh community

In Wales, it is possible to train as a midwife through the medium of Welsh. 

These new midwives often want to stay within their square mile, where their mother tongue is part of their daily lives. A role within an environment that promotes the language is a long-term attraction and investment for the NHS.

The active offer 

The active offer has existed since 2012. The policy aims to offer services through the medium of Welsh to patients, without them having to ask for this.

Professionals should avoid presuming whether the patient speaks Welsh, depending on the name, area or accent heard to guess their chosen language. The active offer is not necessary if Welsh is used permissibly, for example in areas where Welsh is the majority language.

Despite policy efforts and frameworks, over the past decade there has been little awareness of the active offer among the general public. Indeed, its use is often neither frequent nor consistent within maternity units in North Wales. 

For the woman, being offered the language removes the need to have to ask for a Welsh speaking midwife, which hardly happens, as she doesn’t want to create a fuss, or she’s worried about preventing prompt care or being rude.

At the moment whether you are allowed to receive services in your first language can be a matter of luck

Fighting for a provision that is not a matter of luck

Some of the reasons why the active offer is not practical are the lack of employability and higher education of Welsh speakers, visual information, and the continuing commitment of a service to promote the provision of the Welsh language consistently.

I believe there is a need to fight for a more consistent and stable provision, which is normal rather than a matter of luck.

RCM Wales is an important part of this fight. The union is doing positive work in encouraging midwives to use their Welsh, to wear a uniform that includes the 'working language' badge and to start every conversation in Welsh. It also supports midwives to learn Welsh in the workplace.

Twf Language Charter

TUC Cymru has created Twf - the Welsh Language at Work Charter. The Charter will create bilingual inclusive workplaces, and support the process of increasing the use of Welsh at work. 
Find out more about Twf - the Welsh Language at Work Charter