More midwifes needed

More midwifes are needed throughout England, says the Royal College of Midwives. They are calling for the Government to recruit 4,700 more to manage the demand.

The shortages include 91 in the North East, 1,015 in the South East, London needing 862 more midwives, the East of England 780, and the East Midlands 600. The West Midlands needs 418 more midwives, Yorkshire & the Humber 370, the South West 271 and the North West 257, according to an analysis by the union.

Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “This is not just a paper exercise to prove a point. These figures represent real and serious shortages in our maternity services. Each single number is a midwife that should be there caring for women and their babies, but isn’t.

“It is also not just about numbers. Births are also becoming increasingly complex needing more of midwives’ time. The combination of this and the rising birthrate is a dangerous cocktail threatening the safety and quality of maternity care.

“It means that too many maternity units across England are under-staffed and under-resourced to meet the demands made of them. It leaves me feeling deeply frustrated that we are not seeing any action from this Government to remedy this.”

Warwick has lodged an e-petition with Parliament calling for the Government to set a target of 5,000 more NHS midwives in England