NHS maternity service situation in Essex?

[Epli]

I live in Colchester and I am getting a bit worried about the shortage of midwifes in Essex: from what I understand Essex maternity services are staffed at ~70% level and they planned to recruit in Italy & Portugal to deal with it. I also saw some posters across London Tube Stations advertising nurses jobs in Essex (with a maternity nurse on it).

Anyone can share recent experience of childbirth in the region? I am getting a bit stressed, especially with Covid levels rising.

I'm braintree and actually really upset with it! I chose i wanted care with WJC but now it's shut so I've had to move to Broomfield..
Every midwife I've seen is clearly trying their best and when I had a bleed they were really efficient but its a bit worrying. My DH works within health care so is keeping a eye on it from the "inside" too

I'm not in Essex but just over border in Kent, it seems to be the same situation here. The home birth I had planned (due to the quickness of my second child's birth) can no longer go ahead as the trust has stopped home births. I'm 31 weeks now and only seen midwife twice (2 different midwives as was originally with home birth team and now I'm not). Due to this my blood work got lost and I've not got a growth chart yet. It's so different from when I had my other children (2017 and 2019 so not that long ago)