How are the government going to recruit more midwives and meet NICE guidelines?
At the labour party conference, Alan Johnson announced plans to provide an extra thousand midwives by 2009. But the Royal College of Midwives are calling for five times that number and fear that without them, the recently published NICE guidelines on how to support women in labour “will remain just guidelines”. They are also concerned that a decision to end non-means-tested midwifery diplomas in 2008 in favour of degrees may affect recruitment levels.
Ritula is joined by Louise Silverson, Deputy General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives and Chair of the government Health Select Committee, Kevin Barron MP to discuss the issues.
