Midwives in the NHS

Opened the debate

Siobhan Baillie highlighted the urgent crisis in maternity services, noting that midwives and doulas marched to raise concerns. She shared her personal experience as a pregnant woman and praised her local midwifery team for their exceptional care. The March with Midwives manifesto was discussed, which includes demands such as listening to staff, funding pay rises, enabling self-employed midwives to work, and providing additional support for breastfeeding and antenatal education. Baillie pointed out the critical staffing issues affecting midwives' ability to provide high-quality care. She cited data indicating a shortfall of over 2,000 full-time equivalent midwives and highlighted the stress and burnout experienced by many midwives due to long hours, lack of breaks, and administrative burdens. The impact on patient care was emphasised, with statistics showing increased clinical negligence claims and disparities in maternal mortality rates among different ethnic groups. Baillie called for more detailed information on recruitment plans and measures to improve working conditions.

Government Response

The Minister acknowledged the pressure on midwives due to staff shortages and highlighted efforts by the Government to address these issues. He noted that Health Education England has invested £95 million to support recruitment of additional midwives and obstetricians, along with funding for new workforce planning tools at a local level. The Minister also mentioned initiatives such as encouraging returners through a payment scheme, increasing student training places, recruiting from overseas, and improving the working environment through digitalisation efforts. He emphasised the importance of addressing staffing numbers, enhancing working conditions, and supporting midwives to improve the safety of maternity care.