Latest news : Nursing shortage could benefit grads

Latest tweets

Follow @Prospects

 

Graduates of nursing and midwifery could prosper from a shortage of NHS midwives across England. 16/11/2012

After a rise in birth rates across the UK the shortage in midwives has become more apparent, a conference has heard.

The message coming from the chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM)  was that newly qualified midwives were missing out on jobs.

The news comes after an NHS watchdog report in June this year found that maternity units in the South East and London have too few midwives and are affected by shortages that can damage the care that mothers receive.

Currently, full-time midwives already routinely work unsociable and extended hours, with more than half claiming these hours went unpaid.

Cathy Warwick spoke at the group's annual conference in Brighton, saying, 'The birth rate continues to rise, care is more complex and retirement beckons for many experienced midwives.

'The RCM appreciates that we do have more midwives but would still argue that the NHS in England is short of 5,000 full-time midwives. We simply must match those in training with jobs.

'Five thousand midwives in training are superb. But much better would be 5,000 more actual midwives - actual midwives who can deliver all those excellent pledges and plans that are being made,' added Mrs Warwick.

The junior health minister Dan Poulter said the government was comitted to boosting numbers, with £25million set to be invested this year to help improve birthing environments.