Rise in complex births contributes to midwife shortage

23 November 2011 2 mins read Janaki Mahadevan Early Years Health

No region in England has increased its number of midwives to match the rise in births, with the exception of London, The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has found.

The State of Maternity Services report found that in the north west of England there had in fact been a cut in the number of midwives between 2002 and 2010.

Births in England have risen by 22 per cent or more than 10,000 extra babies a month since 2001.

The report also highlights that the increase in births to women over the age of 40 has been dramatic, rising by 71 per cent since 2001.

RCM general secretary Cathy Warwick has lodged an e-petition calling for the government to set a target of 5,000 more NHS midwives in England, which has gathered almost 19,000 signatures since August.

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