On Sunday 21 November, midwives will be holding peaceful vigils in city centres around the country as part of March with Midwives UK. Is this another group of public sector workers campaigning for greater pay and longer holidays? Unfortunately not – if the problem was that simple, a remedy would have easily been found by now. The nation’s midwives are instead taking action to preserve the women in their care and their profession from desperate and dangerous staffing shortages.
I am in my third decade working as a consultant obstetrician. In all that time, I have never seen the midwives I know and work with so demoralised, so drained and so likely to leave the profession.
We are currently facing a massive midwife shortage. The delivery suite where I work is supposed to have eight registered midwives on duty overnight but frequently has to cope with only five. This is the same in hospitals across the country.
I have never seen the midwives I know and work with so demoralised, so drained and so likely to leave the profession
Unlike in other parts of the health service, you can’t slow admissions or postpone operations to cope with the pressure when it comes to childbirth.
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