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A midwife working at a Midlands hospital says there is a “crisis” in maternity care and is calling for urgent changes.
Speaking exclusively to ITV News Central, the whistleblower said he was worried about what was to come even before he started the job.
She claimed staff who received a visit from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) were putting on a “circus show” and said she believed no investigation could reveal the true extent of the failure. insisted.
“Every night before my shift I feel anxious and unwell,” the midwife told ITV News Central on condition of anonymity.
“You don’t know what’s going to come through the door, so you start your shift feeling anxious and you leave your shift feeling like you didn’t do a good enough job.”
Midwives said the maternity ward was overstretched and understaffed, and there were also serious safety issues across the ward.
“You look at staffing levels and the equipment available and think, how are we going to stay safe today?
“When you press the emergency bell, for a moment you think, ‘Is someone going to come? Or am I going to come?’”
“There have been a few times where I’ve sat in the same room as a woman who needed to give birth, and it was just like a ticking time bomb. But there’s no theater so you can’t physically do anything.”
Midwives have expressed similar concerns about working conditions in recent years.
The CQC has launched a national maternity inspection program for all maternity wards in England to fully understand what current care is like.
The midwife does not believe any investigation will reveal the true extent of the failure.
“We are almost ready for when CQC approaches, we have more management in attendance that you probably don’t normally see, we have more staff in place, we have people completing clinical tests. But normally you can’t do that.” That’s what it seems to be doing. ”
“Then when you see this almost circus show going on, it honestly makes me pretty angry. This is not the reality we’re dealing with. Unless they understand that, we need support and funding.” You don’t get that.’ That’s the absolute wreckage of every day. ”
When asked if there was a crisis in obstetric care, the midwife answered without hesitation, “Yes, of course.”
“I think the more it is ignored and not prioritized, the worse the impact will be. I think the more we ignore it, the less safe the care will become over time. Because the staffing is the worst I’ve ever seen.
“If you, as a clinical director in government or a hospital, think there is no crisis, you are delusional.
“Because if a ward that should have 16 to 20 midwives has only eight or nine midwives on that day, it doesn’t take a mathematician to tell you that it’s not safe.”
In response, Gil Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “Staffing shortages undoubtedly compromise safety, and this has been emphasized by the Royal College of Midwives for many years. “Many studies of service failures also clearly compromise safety.”
“The government must listen to the voices of staff and women who work in and use maternity services and act.
“We have considered and made the same conclusions and recommendations, but still the government has not shown any sense of urgency. “Maternity staff and the women and families in their care deserve better recognition. is.”
ITV News Central asked the CQC about the midwife’s allegations. They said that while trusts are given 48 hours’ notice for some inspections, most risk-based inspections are carried out without notice. It also said it “uses a wide range of data and intelligence to monitor the quality and safety of the services we provide.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘We are committed to ensuring all women receive safe and compassionate care from maternity services and this is part of our Women’s Health Strategy 2024. It’s a priority.”
“NHS England’s three-year plan for maternity and neonatal services will support £186 million a year from April to ensure maternity services are safer, more personalized and fairer for women, babies and families. It will become something.”
If you were affected by any of the issues mentioned in this article, you can find links to support services here.
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