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Lenka Sosnovcová, Kateřina Ratislavová and Vladimír Korečko, lecturers of the Department of Nursing and Midwifery of the Midwifery study programme, had the opportunity to participate in an excursion to midwifery centres in the UK, which was organised by the Association for Midwifery Centres together with the Propolis 33 Foundation, the Union of Midwives and the Czech Helsinki Committee. The journey of the Czech delegation of midwives, doctors, representatives of the Ministry of Health and health insurance companies was directed to the vicinity of Oxford and London.

The journey took them first to a detached maternity home in Maidstone, known for its excellent perinatal outcomes. On the agenda were presentations by experts in physiological birth and a tour with midwives who conduct completely autonomous deliveries of low-risk women and also work in community settings. In a very calm and comfortable environment, women stay for a maximum of 24 hours after giving birth, after which they are discharged to a home environment where care continues with visits from a midwife.

The visit to the simulation centre in Swindon was also very interesting with the presentation of medical aids for maternity homes, simulation models for midwifery, but also, for example, a virtual environment with a patient, suitable for teaching paramedic students.

This was followed by a tour of the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and Chelsea & Westminster Hospital in London, where physiological births take place in midwife-led birthing centres and midwife-led continuous care is preferred for women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.

The excursion was very enriching, the reception from the British midwives was very warm and the meeting was inspiring. Perinatology results in the Czech Republic are at a very high level, but what we can learn from our British colleagues is respectful client-centred care, cooperation between health professions, and care for the psyche of clients and staff.