Midwives fear service 'collapse'

Midwives want to see a total of 31 more members of staff

Midwives claim services provided in the south east Wales area are under-staffed and they are calling for more positions to be filled.

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said: "It's only a matter of time before the quality of care plummets and the service collapses".

The Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust said more midwives would be employed.

But said it agreed not enough funds were available to solve some staffing issues.

Midwives are exhausted attempting to care for women and their families... Helen Rogers, RCM

The calls for more staff came in the wake of changes in services in the area.

Helen Rogers, RCM's board secretary for Wales, said: "Whilst we welcome and acknowledge the trust's commitment to employing more midwives, it still falls short of the numbers needed, and this cannot continue.

"Midwives are exhausted attempting to care for women and their families when they know they need many more midwives to run an acceptable standard of service.

"It is only a matter of time before the service collapses and the quality of care plummets."

The Royal Gwent closed its special care baby unit temporarily recently

The community midwives say they originally asked for 31 extra staff and will continue to fight for the posts to be filled.

According to the RCM, a reconfiguration of services has relieved some of the pressure with more midwives working in clinical roles - but they say this has not resulted in more midwives being employed.

Breastfeeding

We are aware of the shortage of midwives in Gwent and are currently looking to find a solution to this problem Welsh Assembly Government

The RCM say it will raise the issue with assembly members and health minister Edwina Hart.

Health Inspectorate Wales has been contacted and are currently interviewing midwives, managers and medics who work in the maternity services in Gwent.

A spokesman for Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust said: "We have had some success in securing funding for the required additional midwives and share the RCM's view that even more are required.

"We are continuing to negotiate with our Local Health Board partners and are hopeful that some additional midwives can be funded.

"In the meantime our midwifery teams across the trust are totally committed to providing a high quality service."

An assembly government statement said: "We are aware of the shortage of midwives in Gwent and are currently looking to find a solution to this problem."

Last Friday, the Royal Gwent Hospital's special care baby unit closed temporarily because a run of multiple births had taken all the cot spaces.

The situation had not affected women with low-risk pregnancies, who were able to have their babies at the Royal Gwent over the weekend.