The impact of staffing shortages in maternity

On the 13th of October the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Baby Loss and Maternity formulated this report due to the urgent staffing crisis in maternity departments. This report gathers research and survey responses from parents, members of staff and organisations in order to show how much of a concerning and negative impact this shortage of maternity staff is having on the wellbeing of employees, parents and families. The overall consensus is that staff are overstretched, exhausted and struggling to provide expectant parents with the very best care.

A brief summary…

Staff Shortage: Staff are truly burnt out, one professional writes, “despite their best efforts, the quality and even the safety of care is not good enough.” A midwife declares, “Staff cannot practise in a safe manner.”

There are so many responses in the same vein. Staff are struggling and it’s at the cost of their wellbeing and happiness.

Antenatal: Antenatal class closures and cancellations are common, appointments are increasingly rushed and shorter than they should be leaving midwives unable to give basic care.

Birth and Labour: Mothers and birthing people can feel these pressures, ‘with their testimonies communicating a sense of fear and abandonment’ during the process of their labour.

Postnatal Care: ‘Lactation, home visiting, and mental health support are being de-prioritised so staff can deliver core services.’

 Neonatal Care: Every year, over 90,000 babies are cared for in neonatal units due to premature birth and babies born unwell. Understaffing can create ‘a very real threat to neonatal care and babies’ lives.’

Bereavement Care: Good bereavement care following baby loss is absolutely essential. The report summarises, ‘Stretched staff also means that there is no time to assess and refer families for other support they may benefit from such as psychological support, or to understand and properly support the needs of families from diverse backgrounds.’

It is clear that in every element of pregnancy, our new parents are facing negligence and a lack of adequate care due to huge amounts of understaffing in Maternity Departments.

The report states that ‘More than 4,500 babies die before, during or shortly after birth every year in the UK. When each tragedy occurs, a hospital review is undertaken to understand why the baby died, the vast majority of baby deaths will only be reviewed by the hospital itself.’ Is this to hide the great insufficiency in maternity care?

What do APPG on Baby loss and Maternity suggest in order to create positive changes in Maternity Care?

The biggest response was to improve the ‘pay of maternity staff, with better financial incentives to working bank shifts and restoring free car parking.’

‘Expanding the number of short courses for nurses wanting to convert to midwifery, recruiting more overseas staff, more opportunities for MSWs, incentives for retired midwives to return to mentor NQMs and students, and deployment of nurses working in maternity.’

‘Measures to support education and training, ranging from scrapping fees for students and restoring the bursary, to backfilling posts to enable staff to attend training.’

‘Staff also stressed the urgent need for a greater focus on the health, wellbeing and welfare of maternity staff.’

‘Engage with staff, to value them, to facilitate flexible working, to give them better conditions in which to work (including more capital investment), to increase investment in wellbeing services and counselling support and to tackle bullying and other unacceptable behaviours.’

At Mama Academy we are devastated to see this report, and truly believe that staff shortages in maternity are having a huge, negative impact on the safety, wellbeing, and care of parents and staff. We hope to create a greater awareness of these shortfalls and to also support expectant parents and maternity staff in the prevention of stillbirth.