Unsafe staffing levels and the ongoing graduate midwife jobs crisis in Wales were firmly on the agenda as the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Cymru addressed the inaugural meeting of the Senedd Cross-Party Group on Maternity and Neonatal Services.
The first Senedd group dedicated to maternity and neonatal care, it brings together politicians, healthcare professionals and organisations to examine the challenges facing maternity services in Wales and to push for improvements.
RCM Cymru used the meeting to highlight the pressures on maternity services and call for urgent action to protect the workforce. It comes as 63 newly qualified midwives in Wales are still without NHS jobs, despite maternity services continuing to face significant staffing pressures.
Julie Richards, RCM Cymru Director, presented evidence from the RCM’s Safe Staffing = Safe Care campaign, highlighting the impact staffing shortages are having on midwives and the women and babies they care for.
Earlier this year, an RCM survey found that 94% of midwives in Wales felt that staffing levels were affecting the quality of care they could provide. More than three-quarters (77%) said they regularly worked additional unpaid hours, and 68% reported that staffing had been unsafe on more than half their shifts.
The meeting also put a spotlight on the difficulties facing newly qualified midwives in Wales, some of who have been unable to secure NHS employment.
Julie said: “We’ve got midwives and maternity support workers telling us they are exhausting and working extra hours, and worrying about the care they can provide. At the same time there are newly qualified midwives in Wales who are ready to work but can’t get jobs.
“These are two sides of the same problem. We can’t keep asking over-stretched staff to do more while leaving the next generation of midwives waiting on the sidelines.
“This is why the new Cross-Party Group is so important. It gives us more opportunities to put these issues directly in front of politicians and to work together on finding solutions.”
RCM Cymru is calling on the Welsh Government to fund and implement the Wales Perinatal Workforce Plan by the end of 2028, guarantee jobs for newly qualified midwives and fund the recommendations of the Maternity and Neonatal Assessment, which was published in February this year and highlighted significant concerns around staffing.
Julie added: “Safe staffing and workforce challenges are the first priorities in the new Cross-Party Group’s proposed work programme. Future meetings will examine workforce development and investment in maternity and neonatal services.
“The new group is an opportunity to keep the experiences of our members at the very centre of decisions about the future of maternity care in Wales.”
