The extra pressure is the result of a Government plan, published lastweek, guaranteeing all women a range of choices about how and where theygive birth by the end of 2009.
However, the Maternity Matters plan has not been backed up by additionalfunds, and critics have questioned how the Government can deliver the3,000 additional midwives needed in the face of NHS cuts.
Midwives and campaigners also claim that the plan's emphasis onproviding more antenatal and postnatal services in children's centresputs extra pressure on health authorities to fund services in thesecentres.
Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said the plans will helpto reallocate existing resources in children's centres. "It's not commonto have input from midwives on a regular basis in children's centres.Maternity Matters has been designed to shore that up when primary caretrusts are planning whether they should locate midwives in a children'scentre, elsewhere or not at all."
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