Women seeking asylum: are communication needs being met?

Caring for a woman who has recently arrived in the UK, speaks little or no English and often has complex care needs, is a common occurrence for many midwives in the UK today. In the past I have found my own experiences of providing care during labour elicit a series of emotions. I worry that I will not understand women's cultural needs and that the services available will not easily allow us to communicate in a language we both understand. At the same time these experiences have been proved extremely satisfying; an opportunity to pull out all the stops and use the real communication skills of midwifery. I have always believed that most communication between a woman and her midwife during labour does not involve the use of words. Touch, eye contact and other non-verbal communications often say much more and work better towards building a relationship of trust and nurturing a caring environment.