The Royal College of Midwives has vowed to keep pushing for safe staffing to be at the heart of maternity reform, after MPs voted against proposals that would have put new maternity safe staffing requirements in law. 

The vote follows months of RCM campaigning to get maternity safe staffing higher up on the political agenda. Getting MPs to debate and vote on safe staffing in the House of Commons is an important step in the campaign, and one the RCM will build on as the legislation moves through Parliament. 

Safe staffing in maternity was debated on Monday evening by MPs as part of the Health Bill’s amendment stage in Parliament. The Bill is making changes to the way the NHS in England is organised and run, and MPs have been using it as an opportunity to propose changes – known as amendments – to strengthen different areas of healthcare. 

For the RCM, a key focus is ensuring maternity safety and, crucially, the workforce needed to deliver it, remains firmly on the agenda. 

One of the amendments debated in the House of Commons on Monday evening would have introduced a package of maternity safety measures, including requirements around one-to-one midwifery care, a Director of Midwifery in every service, ringfenced development funding, a dedicated neonatal workforce plan and annual parliamentary reporting, key measures the RCM has been calling for. 

During the debate, MP Helen Morgan argued that the proposal would turn repeated maternity reviews into enforceable national action, while MP Layla Moran linked maternity safety to workforce shortages, inadequate data and poor estate conditions. 

The amendment was shockingly defeated by MPs by 317 votes to 77. 

While the outcome is a blow for maternity safety, the RCM said getting safe staffing debated and voted on in the Commons shows that the issue is gaining Parliamentary traction. 

Hannah Leonard, Chief Policy Officer at the RCM, said: “We’ve been working hard to get maternity safe staffing on the political agenda and getting a vote on new legislation is a hugely important step in our campaign. We knew this amendment faced a difficult path through the Commons, and it’s shocking this didn’t get more support from the people elected to serve women and maternity staff, getting safe staffing to this stage is important. 

“Our work won’t stop here. We will continue making the case for safe staffing as the legislation moves to the House of Lords, and for the voices and experiences of our members to be heard.”