Baby-boom extra midwives appeal

A MIDWIFERY union is calling for extra funding for more midwives at the Pennine Acute Trust after new figures revealed Oldham has the highest birth rate in Greater Manchester.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed the rate of live births last year per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 was 77.2.

This was followed by Rochdale with a 76.2 per cent increase and Salford with 74.4.

Figures also revealed there was a 1.9 per cent birth rate increase across the North-West since 2009, equivalent to 1,650 births.

Nationally, there was a 2.4 per cent increase which is the highest figure for almost 40 years.

Now the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said nearly 4,700 midwives are needed to tackle the rocketing birth rate, or safety will be compromised.

Lesley Gaskell, RCM North-West regional officer, said she would be calling for the Making It Better network, which conducted the reconfiguration of maternity services across Greater Manchester, to provide extra funding for more midwives at the Pennine Acute Trust, which runs hospitals in Oldham, Rochdale, Bury and North Manchester.

She said: “We have a continued commitment of funding until November from the Making It Better Network to recruit 28 midwives at the Pennine Acute Trust.

“However, in light of the increased birth rates, we will be taking this back to them and asking whether this has been factored in.

“The birth rate increase is significant, we need to be doing more and doing it more quickly.

“We will be suggesting it reviews its commitment and funding.”

Cathy Warwick, general secretary, said: “The Government has committed to protecting student midwife training places, but this is only for one year and does little good if there are not jobs for those midwives to go to.

“The issue of midwife numbers needs to be on the agenda with this Government and these figures show that it needs to be right at the top of that agenda.

“Without central direction it is simply too easy for NHS organisations to save money by cutting midwifery jobs. This is a false economy.”