Fife Maternity Unit Marks A Century Of Midwifery

NHS Fife is marking a century of midwifery in Scotland with a special exhibition in the Maternity Unit at Victoria Hospital  

The Midwives (Scotland) Act 1915 was passed on 23 December 1915, a time where infant and maternal mortality rates in Scotland were high. The progressive Act regulated midwifery and ensured all midwives practicing in Scotland were sufficiently trained and registered.

The Maternity Unit at the Victoria Hospital is marking the centenary of the Act with an exhibition, which showcases local photographs, equipment and clothing from the last 100 years of the profession. 

The exhibition was organised by midwives from the Maternity Unit, who researched and collated the display in their own time. 

NHS Fife Midwifery Manager, Catherine Cummings, said:
 
"In Fife, we wanted to celebrate the contribution that midwives have made over the last 100 years. The midwives involved in pulling this exhibition together have done a fantastic job and it clearly illustrates how far our profession has come.

"The role of the midwife has developed significantly since the Act was enacted in 1915 but one thing that hasn't changed is the sense of pride that midwives take in the important contribution we make to families and our profession as a whole."