According to a new analysis, maternity care is under strain due to a shortage of midwives, rising obesity rates, and women having infants later in life. The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) study found that the NHS in England was short of the equivalent of 2,500 full-time midwives.
While the NHS workforce in the United Kingdom increased by 14.1percent between December 2019 and March 2023, the number of midwives increased by only 1.1percent (247 more midwives), according to the report.
According to the research, the impact of staff shortages on women is "stark and sobering," with Care Quality Commission examinations of maternity facilities revealing safety risks directly related to staff shortages. While the number of births has recently decreased, "the decrease is neither linear nor a reason for complacency."
According to the paper, women are giving birth later in life, and their care and that of their kids may be more complicated, while "rising levels of obesity impact the demands placed on midwives as well." At the time of their booking-in appointment in November 2022, one in every four women was obese, up from 18percent five years earlier.
"This report lays out the significant challenges facing midwives and their colleagues, as well as what needs to be done to turn this situation around," said Birte Harlev-Lam, executive director midwife at the RCM.
He further added “It has an opportunity to significantly reduce the amount of work required of midwives, maternity support specialists, and their coworkers. With the plan, the government has made many promises, and we will be watching to see if they are kept. Women and maternity staff deserve the government's full commitment to putting an end to this crisis once and for all."
"The NHS is one of the safest places in the world to give birth," claimed a representative for the Department of Health and Social Care.
Maternity care is under stress due to a severe issue, the lack of midwives in the workforce. Midwives are crucial to giving women and newborns safe, high-quality care, yet they are overworked and understaffed. Reports suggest immediate action towards this matter.