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The sick NHS in Britain

I’ve heard a string of stories today from midwives in the Huddersfield/Halifax area that illustrate the terrible state of the NHS in the UK.

Despite the Government’s many initiatives, policies, legislation and regulations that support midwifery across the UK, the enormous hole in the budgets in many NHS Trusts has meant that many programs are being cut or scaled back and restrictions on staffing are putting labouring women and their midwives at risk.

One of the midwives in my group ducked into the Labour Ward at the first break to grab a cup of coffee and discovered that the Manager was frantically phoning around trying to find some staff for the night shift this evening. The midwife was made to feel that she should be on duty or else her colleagues would be struggling and working under duress. She had to leave the workshop so she could get sleep and organise her child care in preparation for turning up for the night shift.

This was described as a typical problem in this area (and I suspect, many others). A full complement of staff cannot be found for many shifts and those on duty find they are having to work in conditions that are clearly unsafe for women. It was suggested that several incidents (one that ended in tragedy) were exacerbated by the extreme stress of midwives who were doing their best, but working way under safe working conditions.

Several midwives mentioned that even basic equipment, such as Sonicaids, was in short supply and that even CTG machines, often vital when a baby is in trouble during labour, were sometimes hard to find. There is a new Birth Centre being constructed in this area, but there is concern that its facilities and equipment may be limited by the stringent budgets in place.

The midwives in this group are committed and dedicated, wanting to practice their skills as they know how. Many are totally frustrated and angry with the way the NHS is taking advantage of their willingness to do the best for the women in their care. One wonders how much worse it will all get before improvements finally arrive.

I hope tomorrow to give them practical measures they can implement within their own scope of practice. When things are bad within the system at large, perhaps this is the time to think local rather than global: working with each women, one at a time, and making her experience the best it can be, so a midwife can gain some personal rewards for her work.

Addressing the issues at the broader level will take group action, commitment, and strong political action. The midwives here have good leaders, willing to support and encourage change so I hope they see the potential of a collective approach and work as a unified group to achieve what they want as midwives.

Posted by andrea at February 18, 2007 05:33 AM