Loss of midwifery units affect level of maternity care

The National Childbirth Trust has issued a warning that at least a dozen midwife-led units are under threat due to a shortage of midwives. This follows an estimate by the Royal College of Midwives that Britain is short of 10,000 midwifery staff, with low pay and rising stress levels blamed for the shortage.

Pregnant women face journeys of 20 miles or more to give birth in hospital maternity units as birthing centres near to their homes are shut by NHS managers.

Women who give birth in midwife-run units are more likely to have a natural delivery – avoiding Caesareans and other interventions which can turn childbirth into a frightening and more dangerous medical procedure.

With Caesarean section now accounting for one in five births and increasing intervention by operative delivery, midwife-led units are seen as crucial to offering women their desire for a natural delivery.