The lives of mothers and babies are being put at risk due to a “severe shortage” of maternity staff, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has warned. This comes as the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Baby Loss and Maternity published a report which describes the impact of shortages on neonatal care as “bleak”.
Some 500 midwives left the NHS in England last year, on top of a long-term shortage of more than 2,000, according to the RCM. Together with UK pregnancy and baby loss charity, Sands, the organisation is calling on the Government to fix the staffing crisis.
Gill Walton, chief executive of the RCM, said “crisis mode is now the norm” for midwives. She said: “A serious, persistent and worsening shortage of midwives and other staff is having an impact on the safety and quality of care for women, babies and families.
“Staff are working flat out and doing their best but they are burnt out, fragile and exhausted. The demands on them mean they cannot deliver the level of care they so desperately want to and choice for women is being eroded.
“For many, crisis mode is now the norm. This is why many are choosing to simply walk away from the NHS because they know they cannot deliver the right care and for the sake of the own mental and physical health. We must see urgent action and investment because services are simply on their knees.”
Sands chief executive, Clea Harmer, added: “Today’s report paints a worrying picture of NHS staff having to make the choice between supporting a bereaved mother or caring for a mother giving birth to a living baby, often rushing between the two leaving no time for personalised, compassionate bereavement care. Too often inexperienced midwives are being left on their own to care for bereaved families and this is simply not good enough.”
Dr Edward Morris, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said the report adds to a “growing body of evidence that maternity services are under incredible strain”. He said: “As a college, we continue to call for the Government to commit to the much needed funding for maternity staffing and training as a priority.”
The APPG report states that as well as feeling rushed in their day-to-day duties, midwives often do not have time to offer psychological support to parents in the event of neonatal deaths. It adds that evidence collected from NHS organisations, midwives and parents “paints a bleak picture of maternity and neonatal services that are understaffed, overstretched and letting down women, families and maternity staff alike”.
The dearth is also impacting “exhausted and demoralised staff, frustrated at the environment that is not always enabling them to provide care of the safest and highest quality and fearful about making mistakes that could have serious consequences for women and babies”, according to the report.
The authors recommend introducing a “fully funded” settlement for maternity and neonatal services and ring-fencing some of this funding for staff training. It also advises establishing a national minimum staffing level and that staff are given time to learn from incidents and implement changes. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has been contacted for comment.
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