Exhausted midwives are leaving the profession exhausted as growing staff shortages create a “toxic cycle” of resignations and add pressure on those who stay.
A midwife, who does not wish to be identified, has just sent her notice after nine years in the role, describing working in the field of obstetrics as “soul-destructive”.
“The feeling you get when you leave your shift is a mix of fatigue, sadness and stress,” she says.
“You feel like you’ve done your day’s work and you haven’t done a good job. You haven’t given the attention those families deserve.”
She says midwives are routinely tripled, often in areas they have no experience with, and that she has to witness “unsafe situations on a daily basis”.
It was only in November that midwives warned that maternity services were at a breaking point.
But since then, it has gotten worse.
NHS statistical analysis by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) found there were 677 midwives in England in April compared with the same time last year.
This is on top of an existing 2,000-person shortfall identified in 2021.
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Dr Suzanne Tyler, RCM’s director of services for members, said 57% of midwives are considering leaving the profession.
“We are in a horribly toxic cycle of staff shortages, which puts more pressure on the rest of the staff,” she said.
“Our staff leave because they can’t get the care they really want, they leave because the NHS is not a great employer… and they leave because over the last 10 years, their pay has dropped. that the average midwife is £7,000 a year less now than it was 10 years ago.”
She said some people depend on food banks and end up having to work second jobs to make ends meet.
The government has said it wants the NHS to be “the safest place in the world to give birth” and it is aiming to hire an additional 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians as part of its recruitment campaign. 95 million pounds.
The statement from the Department of Health added: “This is the NHS’s £127 million investment in maternity services over the next year to help increase the maternity NHS workforce and improve newborn care, as well as a comprehensive package of mental and psychological support for employees – including a safe space for employees to rest and recuperate.”
However, while Dr. Tyler welcomed the investment, she said the plan was not right.
“We are in a position to pour water into a leaky bucket at this point,” she said.
“It’s not about recruiting midwives, it’s about retaining the ones we already have. It ensures that midwives really want to stay in midwifery, that their pay and conditions are good, that Their working environment is good.”
