257 new midwives needed claim

MORE than 250 extra midwives are needed across the North-West to cope with a baby boom.

The region’s birth rate has rocketed by 19 per cent since 2001, with 89,199 babies born in 2010, up 2 per cent on the previous year.

But the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) estimates that 257 more midwives are needed to ensure that mothers get safe and high-quality care.

The RCM said services in Greater Manchester are a particular concern following the Making It Better reconfiguration.

The maternity services shake-up has seen the closure of some maternity units this year — including the closure of the unit at Rochdale Infirmary in July which has resulted in the transfer of expectant mums to the Royal Oldham Hospital.

The £44 million women and children’s super centre is currently being built at the Royal Oldham Hospital and is due for completion in December, 2012.

But the RCM is concerned that the units which remain open will struggle to cope, a situation made worse by the rising birth rate.

In July, RCM representatives called for more funding for extra midwives at the Pennine Acute Trust after it was revealed Oldham had the highest birth rate in Greater Manchester — 77.2 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44.

The RCM believe midwife shortages could lead to more women denied home births, the closure of midwife-led units, and a drop in breastfeeding rates.