Midwives shortage an alarm over maternity crisis, urgent action required

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) study found that the National Health Services (NHS) in England was short of full-time midwives. According to the RCM, the impact of staffing shortages on women is "stark and sobering," highlighting historical failures to invest appropriately in maternity services. Its warnings of a worsening maternity crisis are becoming a reality, with the current Care Quality Commission inspections of maternity services showing problems with safety, which are directly related to staffing shortages.
According to the report's conclusions, there would be no midwife shortage if the number of NHS midwives in England had increased at the same rate as the whole health service workforce since the last general election. 
Indeed, the NHS would have 3,100 extra midwives rather than a 2,500 full-time midwife shortage. The RCM published the results of a poll last month, which revealed that midwives provide the NHS with 100,000 hours of free labour per week to protect women's safety. It also revealed that staffing levels were frequently highlighted as a source of concern regarding the safety of care and that midwives and maternity support workers are fatigued and burned out.
Birte Harlev-Lam, Executive Director Midwife at the RCM, stated that the report "lays out the significant challenges facing midwives and their colleagues, as well as what needs to be done to turn this situation around." 
According to the survey, more complex needs, such as rising levels of obesity in pregnancy and an increase in the number of older women having kids, are boosting demands on maternity services. Coupled with an increasing birth rate that increased by 11,000 between 2020 and 2021, this implies that midwifery staffing levels have not kept up with demand, affecting the quality and safety of care.
The number of student midwives has increased in recent years, but the potential good influence has been weakened by the departure of too many experienced midwives. Since the last election, the midwifery workforce has increased by less than 100 per year on average, not enough to make a dent in the chronic shortage. 
A fresh emphasis on worker retention is required, and this is being addressed by making retention a core component of the NHS workforce long-term plan. According to the RCM, this can be encouraged by measures like more flexible working, improved support for learning and development, and addressing unhealthy workplace cultures.