Revisiting advocacy in midwifery

<p dir="ltr">Since its introduction in 2017, the role of the professional midwife advocate (PMA) is now well-documented in the literature. The role has broadened the scope of advocacy to encompass the health, wellbeing and development of midwives, aiming to enhance care delivery, drive quality improvement and improve staff retention through peer support and empowerment. As a result, the concept of patient-focused advocacy has evolved to include professionals. This article explores current understanding of professional advocacy in practice, highlighting how the concept can be applied in different contexts and draws on an ongoing evaluation of professional advocacy in one large NHS Trust. The overall project involved interviews, focus groups, and a survey of current professional advocates and those who do and do not engage with the professional advocacy team within the trust. During the conversations, feedback and survey, it became apparent that the terminology of advocacy in health care has varying interpretations and this may influence the integration of professional advocacy into practice. Therefore, this paper will theoretically explore and extend the concept of professional advocacy in light of the emerging role of the professional advocate.</p><p dir="ltr">In a similar way to the evolution of patient advocacy, professional advocacy is also expected to develop. As a relatively new evolution of the supervision of midwives, professional advocacy is still establishing its place in practice in England and Wales. The primary distinction between the two is that patient advocacy was rooted in philosophical principles, whereas professional advocacy emerged as response to regulatory changes in midwifery supervision, combined with the need to safeguard staff wellbeing and improve services. While implementation structures have been put in place to integrate professional advocacy into the workplace, conceptual understandings are still embedding.</p>