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Midwifes are 'under intense workload pressure'
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives have drawn up urgent plans to tackle the problem.
The proposals, which they say will "revolutionise" labour wards, will be presented to ministers within weeks.
New research shows that clinical errors contribute to up to two-thirds of all deaths during labour of apparently healthy babies. This scenario occurs in approximately one in 1,000 cases.
The royal colleges claim that at least half of these deaths could be avoided with better training standards for midwives and reduced workloads.
Babies suffocated
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The RCOG says one of the most common errors is the failure of doctors and midwives to read a baby's heart monitor correctly.
The ability to judge when intervention is required is a subtle skill - medical staff have in the past been criticised for being too ready to intevene unnecessarily.
Scores of babies are said to suffocate in the womb each year because hospital staff do not understand or notice the warning signs.
Others die because junior staff misuse powerful labour-inducing drugs when no senior doctor is present to spot the dangers.
Professor James Drife, vice president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said better training of new staff and regularly re-training of existing staff was required.
More consultants
Professor Grife said junior staff could also learn more effectively from watching consultants in action on the labour ward.
"Consultants tend to give lectures and tutorials, but are not doing regular sessions on the labour ward," he said.
Professor Grife admitted that the proposals would have a financial implication.
"We are not asking for the moon, but we are asking for a recognition that we have a problem, and that more consultants are needed to help solve it," he said.
Louise Silverton, of the Royal College of Midwives, said: "One thing that needs to be looked is appropriate staffing of labour wards, in particular having very highly skilled and experienced midwives in charge to whom junior midwives can refer as well as making sure all the machinery that is used is in top working order."
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said ministers would listen "with great interest" to the plans.
She said: "They will listen as these are leading organisations and if they are raising issues and something needs to be done those issues will be addressed."