This coming Sunday, 21st November 2021, people in every town across the country with a maternity unit will be gathering to raise awareness of the national crisis in the profession.
Here on the Isle of Wight, supportive parents, lay-people, doulas (what’s this?), midwives and health care professionals will be gathering at 2pm on Appley Beach in Ryde to stand in solidarity with midwives.
Isle of Wight doula, Heather Wilkins explains,
“Midwives in the UK are leaving their profession. Maternity units are closing their doors and the safety of birth in the UK is in crisis as infant and maternal morbidity and mortality are on the rise.
“The UK government need to implement urgent crisis management and resources. Government promises are not being kept and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Maternity need to take responsibility for their silence and for immediate action.
“Giving birth in the UK, a high-income country, is becoming critically unsafe. This is unacceptable. Where women and babies are not well, their families, communities and countries become unwell. This crisis impacts every level of society.”
Call on Government
At 2pm on Sunday 21st November 2021 groups of local supporters will gather across the UK to ask the government to:
- LISTEN to all staff and service users and their advocates
- FUND emergency retention of staff
- ENABLE all qualified midwives who are willing to work and support students to enter training and finish their courses
- REDUCE the demands on staff
If you are not able to attend but would like to show your support, there is an Isle of Wight social media group for March with Midwives where you can learn more and interact with others.
The national crisis
Heather shares more information on the national crisis.
- Parents are reporting bullying and coercion. Threats are used to ensure compliance. Unnecessary medical interventions are at epidemic levels.
Conversely, concerns are being missed and intervention made too late – much of this due to staffing problems. - 2021 has seen maternity services become critically unsafe for staff and users.
- Black women have a 4 x higher risk and Asian women a 2 x higher risk of dying in pregnancy than white women and are more likely to die during the childbearing year .
- Women living in the most deprived areas are almost three times more likely to die than those who live in the most affluent areas.
- A recent RCM survey of midwives found 60% of staff are thinking of leaving the profession.
- For every 30 newly qualified midwives, 29 are leaving.
- Bullying and toxic hierarchical management systems are stifling innovation, silencing whistleblowing and causing psychological harm.
- Top-down pressures that include fear of disciplinary or legal action result in a lack of midwifery autonomy and an erosion of the traditional role of the midwife.
- Midwifery skills are being lost and the profession is being eroded.
- UK Breastfeeding rates are drastically low and continue to fall.
Wilkins: Staffing issues and lack of funding
Heather adds,
“Government promises are not being kept. The Better Births Report is over five years old and continuity of carer/Best Start teams cannot be effectively implemented due to staffing issues and lack of funding.
“Attempts at continuity are, in many instances, adding to the pressures on staff. The 2019 Standards for Proficiency must be adhered to as a priority.”
Image: salimfadhley under CC BY 2.0
