Midwives across Greater Manchester and the rest of the UK are quitting profession due to 'pressures' and 'low pay'
10.05.2022 - 13:35
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Low pay, high pressure and job dissatisfaction are turning midwives away from the profession and the NHS, the Royal College of Midwives has said. This comes after a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service that showed Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, who run maternity services from Royal Bolton Hospital and Ingleside Birth Centre (currently closed) have lost 34 midwives in the last six months.
The data provided by Bolton FT did show they had recruited 20 midwives in that time and that seven had moved from full-time to part-time. The trust runs services across Bolton and Ingleside Birth Centre in Salford and said that staffing pressure was the reason it could not be reopened.
They said the 'regrettable' closure of Ingleside was due to pressures on services because of Covid-19 initially.
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Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said: “Never before have we seen this level of pressure on maternity services. Yes, the pandemic has taken its toll, but the truth is it’s just shown up the fragility that’s been there for years.
“Midwives and maternity support workers are passionate about doing their level best, to care for women, babies and their families. Every day, they strive to deliver safe care in the face of the challenges of understaffing and underinvestment.
“There is now a shortage of over 2,000 midwives in England alone and we are seeing the impact of this hitting some local services hard. The RCM believes in offering solutions, as well as highlighting the problems – and we’ve done just that to the Government and NHS