New RCM Report Highlights Shortfall

The government and NHS need to take urgent action over concerns of midwives shortages in regions across the UK to ensure all mothers and babies get the best possible care, a medical law specialist at Irwin Mitchell has demanded.

New figures from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) have revealed that while the birth rate in England has risen across the past 20 years, there is an insufficient number of midwives available to provide vital care and treatment to mothers and their newborn children.

According to the study, around 4,700 midwives are needed to resolve the serious shortages in the country which may potentially be putting families, including those with the most complex needs, at risk.

Medical law experts at Irwin Mitchell, who act for families who have been affected by the consequences of substandard care during pregnancy and birth, have now backed calls from the RCM for the government and health authorities to tackle the serious problem.

Mandy Luckman, a Partner and medical negligence specialist at national law firm Irwin Mitchell, said: “It is vital that the government and the NHS do everything in their power to address the shortage of midwives which is affecting so many regions of the UK.

“We have seen first-hand the devastating problems that mothers and babies can face when they do not have access to the best possible care, with birth injuries and complications in pregnancy often leading youngsters to need a lifetime of rehabilitation and care. This research from the Royal College of Midwives only serves to suggest that there is much to be done to ensure that families have the best support in what is often the most important time of their lives.

“The suggestion that the extent of the shortages is placing mothers and children at risk is a huge concern and this issue needs to be examined as a matter of clear urgency.

“Patient safety should always be a priority for both the NHS and government, and they need to show signs that action will be taken immediately on this very serious matter.”