To discuss the staffing crisis in maternity care

[BanginChoons]

May I please bring your attention to this very important issue.
The Royal College of Midwives has estimated that the maternity services are 3500 midwives short and this number is rapidly growing. The pressure midwives are under is immense and this is resulting in exhaustion, burnout, and many leaving the profession altogether. Those of us that remain often find ourselves doing the work of 2 people. As hard as we try to keep up our standard of care, this impacts on our patients. We need to keep the momentum moving on this petition. Please sign and share.
www.change.org/p/sajidjavid-support-urgent-government-investment-into-maternity-services-to-solve-the-staffing-crisis?recruiter=71370710&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=a3628960-5887-11e3-a0b8-0f5e34c0ac3f&utm_content=fht-30710057-en-gb%3A0

Bump

Signed.

I'd absolutely love to train as a midwife. I've known it ever since I was 20/21. Unfortunately I found my calling in life too late for free education, and since they scrapped the nursing bursary's and general life happening, I can't afford to go back to school right now.

I imagine it's only going to get worse now Brexit has happened! The amount of EU midwives coming to work in the NHS was huge!

I hope this petition gets some results, no one deserves to get such little thanks in a job, especially one as needed and as important as this.

Doing well I see!

Signed.

I think most people don't know how bad the staffing crisis is. Not just for midwives, but more broadly in the NHS.

Maybe band 8’s should stop bullying staff who arnt in their clique and they might keep midwives. Bullying in midwifery is so disgustingly rife and nothing is being done about it! I read a cqc report about a trust in the south who admit the staff work in FEAR - it’s incomprehensible

@loafcake the Bursary came back last year….

Do it!

I've signed it. Can see the strain the midwives looking after me are under. Can also see how bad policy decisions by higher ups (as it appears to me as a service user) and just basic admin cockups aren't helping with that.

I think it’s appalling that student nurses and midwives now have to pay fees while also doing placements (essentially free work). When I trained the trade off for that work, shifts, lack of social life was always no student debt but the stress of the intense course coupled with £50k debt now makes me wonder why anyone would choose to do it.

@CarryOnNurse20

I think it’s appalling that student nurses and midwives now have to pay fees while also doing placements (essentially free work). When I trained the trade off for that work, shifts, lack of social life was always no student debt but the stress of the intense course coupled with £50k debt now makes me wonder why anyone would choose to do it.

Isn't it.

I wish part time training and shorter shifts was available. I just don't have the stamina and the system is broken.

Signed - I had no idea, it’s terrifying!

I would love to train but they scrapped the bursary, I can't afford not to work

Signed so underfunded and sad for the women and babies that are not supported as they should be at a vulnerable time for both

@WhatisanODP

It's less than half the old bursary, I need £10k minimum to pay bills

@Kidsaregrim

Maybe band 8’s should stop bullying staff who arnt in their clique and they might keep midwives. Bullying in midwifery is so disgustingly rife and nothing is being done about it! I read a cqc report about a trust in the south who admit the staff work in FEAR - it’s incomprehensible

Yup. I loved being a midwife. But I hated working with midwives, I have never encountered such a toxic culture elsewhere.

@hibbledibble

Signed.

I think most people don't know how bad the staffing crisis is. Not just for midwives, but more broadly in the NHS.

I've been to two different A&Es in the last 4 months and was in a ward for a week last year and was genuinely shocked at how broken the NHS feels. Scary.

Signed

An incredibly important job

I'll sign it but I had to write to my mp back in 2006 under a labour government about the absolute shocking state of our maternity services back then and the shocking scarcity of midwives.

If there is a shortage, perhaps reducing the course costs would mean more women could train to fill open slots. Mothers and new babies need lots of support to get going best foot forward.

Kirin we are on our knees currently.

It's obvious, but it's worth stating that retention is just as important as recruitment. Working terms and conditions need to be improved in order to retain staff. Retention is very poor currently, including in midwifery.

@hibbledibble

Kirin we are on our knees currently.

It's obvious, but it's worth stating that retention is just as important as recruitment. Working terms and conditions need to be improved in order to retain staff. Retention is very poor currently, including in midwifery.

Sorry I should have made clear that this wasn't a comment on the actual staff (although some of the nurses on the ward I was on were actually unpleasant and given how sick I was, DP needed to step in and say something about their care).

I know that the majority of NHS staff are doing their best but with GPs refusing to see people and wait times being so ridiculously long, the system itself seems so damaged. I just hope it can be repaired.

Like anything they need to PAY people to do it.

No tuition fees and a living wage bursary each year and people would flock to it.

[quote WhatisanODP]@loafcake the Bursary came back last year….

Do it![/quote]
Love the username! I get asked this question all the time.

I don't think people realise just how bad staffing levels are within the NHS atm, most of my friends have had enough, or approaching burn out.

@ThreeLittleDots

I wish part time training and shorter shifts was available. I just don't have the stamina and the system is broken.

If you haven't got the stamina to do the training, then you won't have the stamina to do the job.

Like a pp said, I trained when our training was free and we were paid a bursary, I wouldn't want to train now, I wouldn't have been able to afford to without the bursary back then.