RCM survey finds many maternity units struggling

An RCM survey of senior midwives have revealed that many maternity services are struggling.  Over two-fifths of maternity units had to close during the last year because they couldn’t cope with the demand and units closed their doors on average on 6.6 separate occasions in 2014 and 4.8 in 2015.

It was felt that some of these closures were due to the rising demands put on services by them taking increasingly complex cases.  Most senior midwives surveyed said their units were dealing with more complex cases than the previous year.  Inadequate funding and staffing shortages are also thought to be to blame.  These issues were also leading to services being reduced in many areas.  This included reductions in specialist midwives, fewer parent classes and less bereavement and breastfeeding support.

These increasing demands, the survey suggests, were also leading to many Heads of Midwifery having concerns about the services they were offering.   Nearly a third (31.2%) ‘disagreed’ or ‘strongly disagreed’ with the statement: ‘I am able to do my job to a standard I am personally happy with’ and in 2015, two-thirds (62.3%) ‘disagreed’ or ‘strongly disagreed’ with the statement: ‘I am able to meet all the conflicting demands on my time at work’.

RCM chief executive Cathy Warwick said: “Our maternity services are overworked, understaffed, underfunded and struggling to meet the demands being placed on them. This is deeply worrying for the quality of care women are receiving, and the safety of services…The government is responsible for this and it is they who are letting down women, babies and their families, as well as the staff they purport to value. This is simply not acceptable.”

Dr Clare McKenzie, vice-president for education at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said “On the whole the UK is a safe place for women to give birth but pressure on maternity services is growing, placing stress on doctors, midwives, managers and patients.”

Read the RCM report here

A BBC article on the survey can be viewed here