Desperate midwives 'run ragged'

Hospitals need a midwifery-led approach, says the RCM

A north Wales hospital is reviewing its procedures after warnings midwives are being "run ragged".

Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust has promised the review following fears midwives at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd are reaching crisis point.

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said the Bodelwyddan unit needs more traditional midwifery methods rather than some modern medical approaches.

They said the problem is "acute" at Glan Clwyd, but by no means unique.

The RCM claims staff at Glan Clwyd are under extra pressure because the hospital has high rates of caesareans and inductions.

This, it claims, is largely because pregnant women are being treated under a "medical model" of care led by obstetricians, who are more likely to offer interventions like epidurals.

These methods can lead to other problems and often result in patients spending longer in hospital, according to the RCM.

Its national officer Lorna Tinsley said a different, midwifery-led approach, could help ease the pressure on staff.

She said: "It's because women are being treated under a medical model of care rather than a midwifery-led centre.

"We're well aware of the difficulties that Glan Clwyd are currently facing. At the moment they are run ragged. It's particularly acute there, but it's not unique.

"In a midwifery-led centre, you generally find women tend not to have epidurals, there are low caesarean rates, fewer inductions and lower requirements for painkillers.

"Midwives adopt a different approach, and might often try and encourage births at home.

"Consequently there's less pressure all round on the hospital and the midwives."

She added: "There's a cultural change needed in north Wales. It's about drawing a line and we're confident we can work with the trust to look at developing a midwifery-led centre."

Ysybty Glan Clwyd is reviewing its midwifery methods

Jill Galvani, the hospital's director of nursing, said the unit had experienced a particularly busy month with a higher than usual birth rate.

She added: "This has put pressure on the midwifery team and whilst there is absence associated with sickness and maternity leave there are agreed staffing levels. These are reviewed every shift to ensure a safe service for mothers.

"The unit does not have any midwifery vacancies at the moment and we fully comply with the nationally-recognised number of midwives for a unit of this size.

"However, the trust is going to be undertaking a review of the midwifery service."

An assembly government spokeswoman said individual trusts had policies for recruiting and retaining midwives.

She added: "From the information we receive from trusts we know that we are training the right number of midwives to patients' needs.

"We are currently working with the Royal College of Midwives to highlight good practice in retaining midwives. We expect to publish details of this work in the autumn."