Rising birth rates in UK yields increased demand for Midwives

Health bosses have moved to reassure expectant mothers in the county that there is enough staff to deal with rising birth rates in the county.

Concerns have been raised that women are being turned away by maternity units due to a shortage of staff or beds but the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital said they are “in control” of the situation.

During 2008 there were 18 delivery suite closures with none in May, September, November or December. The delivery suite was closed for a total of 101 hours during 2008 and longest single closure was nine hours on July 10.

Although this has caused some degree of distress for mothers-to-be and their families hospital bosses said they have one of the best delivery suite records in the country.

A hospital spokesman said: “We have been recruiting more midwives during 2008 and we are still recruiting to fill eight vacancies. We have increased our midwifery staffing from 145 midwives to 165 and our midwife to birth ratio is: 1:32.

“A rising birth rate has been putting more pressure on maternity services generally. In the years before the new hospital opened the birth rate had been falling but it has been rising ever since NNUH opened. In 2001 our staff delivered 4,397 babies but that rose last year to 5,627.”

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) claimed earlier this year that hospitals across the country had been unable to employ enough midwives to cope with rising birth rates because £330m of extra government funding to primary care trusts was not getting through.


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