Baby number crunch

NEW guidelines which reduce the number of babies individual midwives can safely deliver have prompted health bosses to review arrangements at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

Up to this week, the Royal College of Midwives recommended each midwife should deliver an average of 34 babies a year to ensure mother and child had the best quality of care.

Oldham’s midwives fell inside the target, by delivering an average of 32 babies a year. But that figure has now been changed to an average of 27.5 babies, which pushes Oldham outside the comfort zone.

A spokesman for Pennine Acute Trust, which runs the Royal Oldham Hospital, said: “Our team of midwives is dedicated to providing the very best care for all new mothers.

“We welcome these new recommendations from the Royal College of Midwives to ensure safety and quality of care.

“The trust is already in the process of reviewing the structure of our team of midwives at Pennine Acute Trust and we will be taking into account this new guidance.”

The move comes as the Liberal Democrats claim midwives across England are labouring under an increased workload, with their number failing to keep pace with a rising birth rate.

They say maternity care is “in a state of near crisis” after figures released by the NHS Information Centre revealed the average number of births each midwife handles rose from 31 in 2001 to 34 in 2007 — a 10 per cent increase and the highest ratio since records began.