Leaving midwifery, what’s next?

[TastingTheRainbow]

I have made the decision to leave my job as an NHS midwife. It breaks my heart but sadly I can no longer cope with the short staffing, increasingly busy days and my mental health is suffering. I am crying in bed most nights knowing that I gave terrible care to women as I just couldn’t split myself between the needs of 20 women and their babies when on my own on the ward. The anxiety that one day I’m going to make a mistake or miss something and cost someone their life as a result is crippling.

The question is what next? I have no qualifications or experience in anything other than midwifery as it’s what I’ve always done and always wanted to do. I’m also a direct entry midwife so didn’t qualify as a nurse first.

I can afford to take a pay cut for better work / life balance and I would save on childcare costs anyway so it would balance out.

Can anyone give me any suggestions of what (non NHS jobs) would be open to someone with a degree in midwifery?

Training to be an IBCLC takes a long time but I know a few who are doing very well given how useless the NHS at breastfeeding support now.

I’m a nurse, have been for 10 years, don’t do it.

What about NHS24 or the equivalent where you are?

Company rep.

Breastfeeding support.

Clinics.

Any chance you live in an affluent area?

I know some midwives who’ve left and do private baby nursing, days and overnights and their experience means they can command very good wages

I'm a midwife and I really think that working in sexual health should totally keep your midwifery registration. Its women centred care. You don't need to directly deal with pregnant women to keep your registration. I know someone who has kept theirs while working as part of the general safeguarding team.

Our unit is going to team continuity model rather than full case loading. So on call once a week. Case load of 32 women.

I think its 32......saying that the person I was speaking to is part time so not sure if she meant it's 32 for her being part time........is 64 more realistic??? Never worked in community so not a clue!

To be honest, I would leave all together. It's difficult, but I've left the NHS as I realised things are just getting worse and worse. I can't see an end to a Tory government either and my mental health was suffering. Like you, I have a child that gives me added stresses (additional needs) so I now work in further education. I just had to really use some of the skills I'd gained to show that I was a caring, passionate person but I just couldn't sustain the mental load anymore of the NHS. I now have a job helping young people in college, fairly decent pay, excellent pension, term time only.. best thing I ever did.

Come and work in abortion services! We do loads of sexual health stuff. I'm direct entry mw, as are loads of my colleagues. I cannot tell you how wonderful the lack of stress is. Honestly, the NHS nearly killed me. Pm me if you want more info. I'm not sure where you're based but I bet there's stuff near you. X

I was going to suggest abortion services. We have some wonderful midwives who make a huge difference to women at a difficult time in their lives - many of them work part time too.

Otherwise what about screening programmes?

@tasting look on NHS jobs the local primary care trust or whatever they are called locally will advertise student public health nurse health visitor posts will be a fixed one yr contract on band 5 salary you maybe too late for Sept unless some late ads going out poss Jan if your do a dual intake

Thank you everyone.

It’s refreshing that people are understanding. I’ve been feeling like a complete failure for being unable to cope for some time now and managers only add to that feeling as they seem to think the expectations are reasonable.

I obviously don’t want to name the trust I work for but it’s a large and very busy unit in a deprived area where we do an enormous amount of safeguarding alongside our work which takes a huge amount of time also. We work in a semi- caseload model now so that means a couple of days community, a couple of days labour ward each week plus being on call for home births and if labour ward is busy or short staffed which it always is right now.

Training as a nurse is not an option. I don’t want to be a nurse and I know they don’t have it easy right now. I want to be out of the NHS completely at this point.

To the person who asked why managers are not saying this is unworkable, they are! Repeatedly and loudly. But a survey said that women would prefer to see the same midwife and evidence shows that it is safer therefore the government decided it’s happening and there is nothing we can do. I’m not against continuity of carer I think it can be fantastic. In an already stretched, under staffed NHS that are making continuous budget cuts it’s not possible and there will be no funding change to implement this.

My trust is in huge debt, maybe we’re being hit more severely due to this. We’ve been threatened with closure due to this so now they are pretending that all is ok to stay open but in fact making the care unsafe by slashing budgets so much. Even the gloves that staff wear to deliver babies have been replaced by cheaper options now and they don’t fit well around the wrist meaning your hands end up covered in blood and liquor at each delivery. They are quite happy to put staff at risk as long as it saves money.

I’ve been the only midwife on the postnatal ward with over 20 women and their babies to look after single handedly more times than I can count and that’s considered acceptable.

I’m ranting now but it’s dire in the NHS right now and as with most things it’s women who are affected the most. If midwifery was predominantly staffed by males I don’t believe this would happen.

Would men be sent home in agony because they are not quite yet in enough pain to have pain relief? That’s what’s happening daily now. Midwives hate it but are penalised for admitting women “too early” in labour also. Would men have major surgery and be told here have 2 paracetamol now get up and look after this newborn? We have constant complaints about the level of care, I see it on mumsnet all the time also, but that leads to the individual midwives involved being punished. Those higher up never consider the fact that substandard care was provided due to the working environment.

If you want to move into health visiting you aren't sponsored by your trust you apply for a student health visitor post in any local trust. It's a 12 month fixed term post while you train paid at mid band 5 and then you can apply for a band 6 job as a health visitor. Next training will start in September and there are a few posts on NHS jobs now, they usually peak around July time

www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/search_vacancy/

I feel your pain OP. Almost 30years service here and I'm planning my escape too. Some things I've considered; private carer, dog walking, fostering, nannying, housekeeper, receptionist.
I really hope things work out for you and I'm very grateful to you as a midwife for all the care I have received in the past.

I totally get where you're coming from and agree that direct entry mw's are pretty much stuffed in terms of alternative work! However, have a look at jobs with the HSIB and CQC as I know a number of mw's who have gone down these routes and will never come back to the NHS.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Would you not do the odd bank shift to keep your midwifery pin? You’d be under a lot less pressure but it would keep a lot of options open to you (such as sexual health).

I’m not sponsored by my trust for health visiting. I applied for a training post at another trust and got it. As a midwife you would easily get a place. Search nhs jobs and training will be advertised.

How about the Healthcare Safety Imvestigation Branch www.hsib.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/

What about a doula?
Personal midwifery, you could offer your services?
Childcare, dentistry, medical reception, geriatric care.... There are many roads open to you.
I hope you can find something that fulfills you.

There's no easy answer, but I just wanted to say thank you for doing what you have done so far. It's horrible how bad it's gotten. I personally wish they would charge at least some money to people who can afford it just so staffing levels could be made right but I don't think they'll do it unless the NHS was completely done away with.

Anyways, thank you and good luck on your future endeavours

My trust was in this dire straights 3-4 years ago but great leadership has completely turned it around. Complaints are really low and with the saving babies lives campaign we have halved our stillbirth rate. Don't get me wrong we have really busy crappy days but there aren't so many of those now and as it's a better place to work out staffing is good as we can easily recruit. Sickness is really tightly managed as well which helps to increase staffing! Good luck with what ever you do but if you can relocate to a fab area and a nice place to work send me a message!!

Thank you everyone. Have got some great suggestions and areas to look into now. Feeling much more positive that there is an exit. I will be sad to leave midwifery but it’s the right thing to do for now.

I left my previous career (not clinical) to become a CQC inspector. Best things i ever did.

I was going to suggest CQC/ NMC inspector, or even CCG commissioning. Organisations like the GMC/ Ombudsman often advertise for caseworkers where your experience may be desirable

Consider what soft-skills you have acquired as a midwife that might be transferrable to a different career. Could be anything from communicating with patients, to delegating tasks, to administration to being able to work under pressure (pressure is not always a negative thing, if used appropiately), to training and guiding interns. Stuff like that, Watch some Youtube videos for inspiration and you'll see that even if you leave the medical field altogether you have still acquired skills and experiences that can be used in a different industry.

In either case look for career paths that are less-obvious. It may take some digging, but you'll be surprised by what is out there. Perhaps try some career-agencies or a career coach.

But a survey said that women would prefer to see the same midwife and evidence shows that it is safer therefore the government decided it’s happening

It won't be any bloody safer if you've all been working non-stop for 24 hours or more and are stressed and exhausted!

I sometimes wonder if they're deliberately fucking up the NHS so that they can privatise it without everyone kicking off. There was an article in The Observer today saying that in a few more years we'll be short of 70,000 nurses, because the nubmer of nursing students has plummeted and existing nurses are leaving in droves.

They're ruining the thing that was one of this country's greatest assets. It gives me the rage.