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 | | Saturday, 14 July, 2001, 18:20 GMT 19:20 UK Midwife 'crisis' sees rise in Caesareans  One in five births in the UK are Caesarean A shortage of midwives is being blamed for a big increase in the number of Caesarean births. It is thought that one in five women now have their baby by Caesarean section. A new study shows wide variations in the number and availability of midwives across the UK. The Royal College of Midwives believes there is a shortfall of at least 5,000 qualified maternity staff. Staff ratios The authors of the latest survey say some hospitals have been forced to turn mothers away, including some in labour, because of the shortage. The details, to be published in the Sunday Times, will list each hospital's ratio of midwives to mothers. The survey suggests 33% of babies are born in UK hospitals which do not have enough staff to meet the nationally recommended level.
This may be a contributory factor in the increasing number of Caesarean sections. Louise Silverton, a spokeswoman for the Royal College of Midwives, said: "Where a woman does come to labour feeling anxious, it's quite likely this will impede the normal progress of her labour and that she will have more interventions, the end result of which can be this increase in Caesarean sections." Recruitment drive London and the south-east have the worst shortages, according to the survey. Northwick Park Hospital in north-west London is one of those on the list. But hospital managers there say the figures are inaccurate and do not reflect work done by agency midwives. The Department of Health says many of the wide variations are unacceptable and it intends to recruit 2,000 more midwives. | |
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