Maternity bosses praised for successful recruitment drive in face of national staffing crisis

Hospitals around the country have been struggling to recruit enough midwives, with workforce gaps potentially putting the lives of mums and babies at risk.

But University Hospitals of North Midlands – where maternity services were rated as ‘requires improvement’ by the Care Quality Commission last year – has managed to buck the trend.

Latest figures show just 21.5 midwife vacancies out of 272 posts, when previously around a quarter of posts at the trust were vacant.

The trust runs Stafford's County Hospital and the Royal Stoke University Hospital.

Members of the UHNM board were told the trust had succeeded in attracting experienced midwives from other hospitals, as well as recruiting midwives from overseas for the first time.

Along with the staffing improvement, the update on maternity services also showed improvements to triage times.

Non-executive director Leigh Griffin welcomed the staffing figures. He said: “There’s real progress being made here, and I know that reflects really hard work, so congratulations. I know there’s still some distance to travel, but staffing levels which at around 75 per cent of the budgeted establishment are now well into the 90s.

"A few months ago many of us were thinking that with maternity units up and down the country all looking for staff, how on earth were we going to get them? So it’s a massive achievement.”

Non-executive director Tanya Bowen added: “There has been a phenomenal improvement – to get from a 75 gap in resource to just 21.5. It does say in the report that the aim is to get the gap to 10 to 12 by early 2024 – are we feeling that’s still likely?”

Director of midwifery Sarah Jamieson said: “If I’m honest I’m feeling more like 12 to 15. Some of that fluctuation is based on our international recruits. We’ve been very successful with our international recruits – it’s our first time dipping our toe in the water for maternity. But occasionally they decide not to come to the country in the end, so what we have promised on paper doesn’t come to realisation.

“What we are seeing though, is an increase in our appointment of Band 6 midwives, who are the more experienced midwives. That means that we’re taking from other trusts and organisations, so apologies to them, but it’s very good that we’re attracting Band 6 midwives who are already working elsewhere.”

Report by Local Democracy Reporter Phil Corrigan