“This essay will discuss how communication and interpersonal skills can impact on professional relationships and team working. How lifelong learning and empowerment can influence maternity care and the effectiveness of holistic women centred care as well as the use of evidence informed practice within midwifery and maternity care whilst examining a reflection of an episode of practice, written using Gibbs (1988) model of reflection. The skills of controlled cord traction and optiminal cord clamping will also be examined in relation aforementioned aspects of modern contemporary midwifery care.”

Nursing and Midwifery Councils (NMC) Code of Conduct (Nursing and Midwifery Council 2015) states that nurses and midwives must work in partnership to productively provide care, to do this midwives must effectively utilise their communication and interpersonal skills. Midwifery 2020 calls for a service based on clear communication, explanations and where there is efficient team work (Department of Health 2010). Good communication skills are important in midwifery care as they allow for holistic woman centred care and holistic practice (Bryt 2014).

Within midwifery, core communication and interpersonal skills are listening, attending, empathy, information giving and support (Bach and Grant 2009). Effective use of these skills to often quickly develop a trusting relationship will result in empowered woman centred care (Bach and Grant 2009).

In the scenario, when the womans wishes w…(short extract)