THE government must take urgent action to tackle chronic staffing shortages in maternity services that are putting women, babies and staff at risk, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said today.

The Safe Staffing = Safe Care campaign, launched in Parliament on Tuesday, sets out five key asks, including long-term funding, protected learning time, stronger leadership, investment in prevention and cultural competence, and urgent repairs to maternity estates.

At the event, midwives, maternity support workers and students described the realities of working in under-staffed services and why safer staffing is essential to improving maternity safety. 

RCM chief executive Gill Walton said unsafe staffing was now a daily reality, with midwives being held responsible for systemic failures beyond their control.

She said: “When midwives are working excessively long shifts without a break, driving home exhausted and returning the next day expected to provide safe, compassionate care, we have to ask: how can we expect exhausted midwives to provide the safest care?

“It’s simply unacceptable to ask this of our dedicated maternity staff in this day and age. As part of our campaign, we’re telling the government: enough is enough.” 

The RCM says there is overwhelming evidence that safe staffing saves lives. 

Despite 748 maternity safety recommendations made over the past decade, progress has been slow, with avoidable harm continuing.

New data last week showed maternal deaths in Britain are 20 per cent higher than a decade ago.

Ms Walton said: “The scale of the challenge is well known. What’s missing is urgent, decisive action backed by ring-fenced, sustainable funding. Without safe staffing, care simply cannot be safe.”

The RCM said it stands ready to work constructively with government to deliver meaningful change. 

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are on a mission to urgently improve maternity services and providing midwives with world-class training is at the heart of that.

“That is why the Department works with NHS England and the Nursing and Midwifery Council to improve midwifery training, so it better reflects the complex needs of women today.

“We’re investing £131 million to improve NHS maternity and neonatal infrastructure, and have already rolled out an Anti-Discrimination Programme to address the unacceptable inequalities faced by ethnic minority groups.”