02.03.16
Midwives among most stressed of NHS staff – RCM
Midwives face higher stress rates than many other types of NHS staff, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has found.
Analysis of the recent NHS Staff Survey by the RCM shows that almost 50% of midwives had experienced work related stress in the past year and almost 70% had come to work despite feeling unwell, compared to 37% and 63% of NHS staff in general. The survey also raised concerns about levels of bullying and harassment faced by NHS staff.
In June this year the RCM will launch a health, safety and wellbeing campaign to provide greater advice and better support to midwives and maternity staff on coping with the pressures of their job, and raise awareness amongst employers of the long-term value in promoting wellbeing amongst maternity staff.
Jon Skewes, the RCM’s director for policy, employment relations and communications, said: “These latest NHS staff survey results are shocking but not surprising, midwives day in day out face enormous pressure due to understaffing and an increased birth rate.
“We hear daily from our members of their frustrations and fears about delivering a high quality safe service with inadequate levels of staffing at their units, this is undoubtedly one of the primary causes of work related stress.”
In their October submission to the NHS Pay Review Body 2015, the RCM warned that two-fifths of maternity units are so overworked that they’ve had to temporarily close their doors in the last year.
(Image c. Todd Anderson via Flickr Commons)