‘Act now’ and publish NHS workforce plan RCM and health organisations tell Rishi Sunak

on 31 May 2023 Midwifery Midwives Midwifery Workforce Maternity Services NHS Government MSWs - Maternity Support Workers Midwife Shortage

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and other unions, professional bodies, charities and the NHS Confederation have written to the Prime Minister expressing dismay at the delayed publication of an NHS workforce plan.

With the midwife shortage in England hitting 2500 the RCM along with the other organisations say a funded and sustainable plan must be published immediately.

“We have fed into the plan’s development plan and we need to see it published. We’ll be releasing the results of our England member survey soon but what it shows is midwives and maternity support workers under incredible and unsustainable pressure as they strive to keep services safe and deliver the best possible care for women, babies and families,” said Dr Suzanne Tyler, Executive Director, Trade Union, at the RCM. “Maternity services and those in the wider NHS are kept afloat simply because of the efforts of staff to go above and beyond on a daily basis. That is not a safe way to run our NHS, for the staff or the people it cares for. We demand the plan is published and that it is backed up with the resources to improve the rapidly worsening crisis in maternity and the wider NHS.”

The crisis in NHS staffing cannot be solved without the plan and the funding to back it up. Tackling the NHS workforce crisis will take time and delays in publishing the plan is damaging say the forty organisations signing the letter.

The full letter can be read HERE