Lack of staff forced four in ten NHS maternity units to turn away expectant mothers last year

Pregnant women were forced to travel to alternative maternity units when four in ten were temporarily closed last year due to staff shortages.

Some hospitals have turned expectant mothers away for weeks or dozens of times, an alarming study shows.

It means expectant mothers couldn’t give birth or be monitored at the maternity ward or birthing center closest to their home or the midwives they wanted.

Experts warn that this could be harmful to mothers and babies, as studies show that maintaining continuity of care and low stress levels leads to better health outcomes.

The figures were obtained by the Labor Party, which has sent requests for information to 194 trusts asking about services being closed due to staff shortages.

It received responses from 142, of which 93 had maternity wards or birth centers and 38 were temporarily closed – equal to 41 percent.

In addition, six trusts had to temporarily close their breast imaging clinics due to staff shortages and three have turned patients away from their stroke units for the same reason.

The number of vacancies in the NHS hit a record high this year, with the latest figures showing the NHS is short of 124,000 staff, including 44,000 nurses and 9,000 doctors.

In the period covered by the FOI, from November 2021 to October 2022, the number of midwives employed by the NHS has fallen.

A recent survey of members of the Royal College of Midwives found that more than half are considering quitting their jobs, many because they fear understaffing will hamper their ability to provide a safe service.

A shortage of maternity staff has repeatedly been raised as a concern by inspectors from the Healthcare Quality Commission and investigations into maternity scandals.

James Titcombe, a patient safety campaigner and ambassador for the Baby Lifeline charity, said: ‘These figures are deeply concerning and once again demonstrate the pressure under which NHS maternity care is currently operating.

“Local maternity services closing their doors is not only an inconvenience to women and families, such closures can have a major impact on the safety of care with longer transfer times and a lack of continuity of care.

“Maternity professionals often work beyond their capabilities, with many staff experiencing burnout and considering leaving the profession.

“The government urgently needs to commit to a fully funded maternity care workforce plan to address staff shortages through additional training and recruitment, and to improve retention by ensuring that all maternity care professionals are cared for, feel valued and well supported to safe, personal and compassionate care for women and babies.’

Responses show that Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has closed birth centers at the Chelsea and Westminster and West Middlesex University sites 50 times, and maternity wards 10 times.

Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was forced to close its birth center between October 28 and November 7.

And North-West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust reported closures at 47 days and Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust closed their birth center for 55 shifts.

Extrapolating the responses to those who did not respond suggests that 60 units will have closed at some point.

Maternity wards must temporarily close and refer women to the next available shift if failure to do so “compromises the safety of the service and the care already being received by women and their babies.”

A spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said: ‘The NHS is under intense pressure, including maternity care, with health workers working tirelessly in difficult conditions to manage the unprecedented demand.

“We have consistently called on the government to put in place a fully funded, long-term NHS staffing plan.

“This is critical to improving recruitment, retention and well-being of staff, reducing waiting lists for gynecology and improving pregnancy experiences and outcomes.”

Wes Streeting, Labor’s health spokesman, is calling on the government to double the number of medical school places and increase training for nurses and health visitors.

He said: ‘Expectant mothers deserve the reassurance of a well-staffed, safe and comfortable healthcare system.

After 13 years in which the Conservatives failed to train enough doctors, nurses and midwives, maternity hospitals are closing business with pregnant women being turned away.

“In his budget for next week, Jeremy Hunt should accept Labour’s plan to double the number of places in medical schools and train an additional 10,000 nurses and midwives to ensure that mothers and babies are properly cared for.”

A CQC report published in January found that pregnant women and new mothers are increasingly being let down by the NHS.

In particular, there has been a ‘worrying decline’ in the number of people who can get help from staff when needed compared to five years ago.

The report found that nearly four in ten women struggled to get staff to help them during labour.

And one in four women said they were left alone by midwives and doctors at a time when they were worried about giving birth.

Sir Julian Hartley, CEO of NHS Providers, representing NHS trusts, said: ‘With 124,000 vacancies across the NHS, overworked frontline workers struggle with ever-growing demand and increasing workloads.

‘We know that maternity care across England is facing a number of challenges, including a significant labor shortage.

“Despite the best efforts of midwifery staff, this has a knock-on effect on their ability to provide care, including seeing expectant mothers as soon as possible.

“The government’s long-awaited national staffing plan for the NHS can’t come soon enough, but it must be fully funded if we are to solve the major staff shortages currently hampering healthcare.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care said it will publish a staffing plan this year aimed at recruiting and retaining more staff so it can ‘make the NHS the best place to work’.

She added: ‘Temporary closures in NHS maternity units are well-rehearsed safety measures, used by trusts to safely deal with spikes in admissions.

“It is misleading to use these numbers as an indication of safe staffing issues – especially when some of them could have lasted several hours – because the maternity ward is unable to plan the exact time and place of birth for all women. that are under their care. .

‘We have invested £127 million to grow the workforce and improve neonatal care, and there are over 44,300 more staff working in the NHS compared to a year ago.’

The Royal College of Midwives and NHS England were approached for comment.