Continuity of carer is a phrase used in UK midwifery care to describe being looked after during your birth by a midwife you already know from antenatal appointments, and who will also see you after the birth. The phrase can get confused with continuity of care, which is about making sure different people involved in your care communicate well for a joined-up experience.
Continuity of carer is about building relationships with maternity care providers, so they get to know what’s important to you. Your care can then be personalised. Continuity midwives will work in small teams so women can get to know the midwives that provide their care.
Evidence tells us maternity care is safest when women have continuity of carer. This is why maternity services are all moving towards this way of working. At the moment, most women will still receive their antenatal care and their birth care from separate teams. However, the number of continuity teams in the UK is increasing all the time.