Third of maternity units have shut doors to labouring women because they could not cope

More than a third of maternity units have been forced to shut their doors to labouring women because they could not cope with demand, leading midwives have warned. Figures from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) show that 38.6% of maternity units had to temporarily shut during the last year.

A poll conducted among senior midwives revealed that units closed their doors on 281 separate occasions. The RCM said the average unit temporarily closed eight times, but one unit was at full capacity 50 times. Eight units had to close their doors on 10 or more occasions.

The college, which is holding its annual conference in Harrogate, said the number of closures was a reflection of the rising demands on services as well as increasingly complex births and issues with staffing levels.

The poll, which was completed by 53% of the heads of midwifery from around the UK, found that nine in 10 believed their unit was dealing with more complex cases than last year. Almost two in five said that they did not have enough midwives to cope with the demands on the service, and 19% of the 85 senior midwives who responded said their budget had decreased in the previous 12 months.

One in 10 said that they had been forced to reduce services in the last year, including reductions in parent classes and breastfeeding and bereavement support. Four in five also reported that they had to redeploy staff to cover essential services, meaning that staff who were supposed to be delivering antenatal care and community care were redeployed to cover labour delivery suites.

“Yet again we are seeing senior midwives describing services that are being battered by increasing demands, inadequate resources and staffing shortages,” said Cathy Warwick, RCM chief executive. “It is very often only through the hard work, goodwill and sacrifice of maternity staff that services are able to deliver the safe and high-quality care women need.

“It is astonishing that units are temporarily closing because they can’t meet the demands of the service, staff are redeployed to the detriment of antenatal and community services, and just after Baby Loss week, we are finding that bereavement support services have been cut.

“Every week I speak to midwives who tell me they are exhausted by the pressures they are facing, and they lack the time to do their jobs as well as they would like. This situation isn’t sustainable, and the government must start to invest in NHS staff because we all know that an investment in staff is an investment in high quality, safe care.”

A separate poll from the RCM released on Wednesday revealed that inadequate staffing levels were driving midwives to leave the NHS. The study, which polled more than 2,700 people, found some were working in “dangerous” conditions, having 12-hour shifts with no break, and worried about making “tragic” mistakes, and reports of midwives looking after as many as 15 mothers and babies at a time.

Warwick criticised the government’s “disastrous” policy of pay restraint in the NHS. “Midwives and maternity support workers are working harder than ever at the same time as they have had six years of real-terms cuts to their pay. We want to see a cost of living increase for midwives, maternity support workers and other NHS staff to show them they are valued and to reward their hard work.

“There is a growing shortage of midwives, and midwives tell us because of the demands they face, they are intending to leave midwifery, making the shortage worse. However, 80% of midwives who are intending to leave say they would stay if pay improved. The government can’t afford not to invest in maternity services.”

Labour’s shadow health minister, Justin Madders, said: “This shocking poll is yet more evidence of the crisis engulfing our NHS as a result of Tory underfunding. Six years ago the Tories promised 3,000 more midwives, but they failed to deliver them. This has left maternity units across England operating without enough staff and unable to cope with rising demand.

“This situation is causing chaos for thousands of women in labour, and could pose a serious risk to patient safety. Jeremy Hunt and Theresa May are in complete denial about the extent of this issue. They need to use the Autumn statement to deliver a rescue package for the NHS before this crisis turns into a catastrophe.”

Third of maternity units have shut doors to labouring women because they could not cope