Equipping midwives for the future: embedding good clinical practice into midwifery education

Integration of good clinical practice into midwifery education represents a strategic educational response to increasing expectations for research literacy, ethical governance and evidence-based practice in maternity services. This article outlines the rationale for embedding National Institute for Health and Care Research-accredited good clinical practice training across undergraduate and postgraduate midwifery programmes at the University of Bedfordshire and describes its implementation in research and professional development curricula. Drawing on experiential and constructivist learning theories, good clinical practice training was introduced in the second year of study and contextualised through seminars, reflective activities and practice-based case discussions. The perceived educational impact of this initiative was explored through practice-based evaluation, including student and faculty feedback and post-training evaluation data. Learners reported increased confidence in understanding research ethics, governance processes and documentation standards, alongside greater readiness to engage in audit, evaluation and research-informed discussions in clinical practice. Embedding good clinical practice in midwifery education supports the development of ethically informed, research-aware practitioners and contributes to a culture of safe, transparent and evidence-based maternity care aligned with national workforce and research priorities.