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Midwives, parents and doulas protest in Bristol
Midwives, parents and doulas held a in protest in Bristol to highlight a “state of emergency in maternity services”.
Dozens of people took to College Green on Sunday afternoon where a rally took place with a series of speakers who spoke of the plight of midwives across the country.
Health staff highlighted major problems with the services, including chronic staff shortages which is affecting the quality of care women and newborn babies receive.
is needed now More than ever
Since records began in 2009, the number of NHS midwives has fallen in England every year. Protesters said this has lead to an overworked and under-resourced workforce, putting women and birthing people in danger.
https://twitter.com/bettywoolerton/status/1594333376013484032
The protest, called ‘March with Midwives‘, formed as a grassroots movement in October 2021 by Horsford doula Siobhán Ridley and other maternity professionals. There were 34 separate demonstrations happening for the same cause across the UK on the same day.
Organsier of the Bristol demonstration Abbie Sanderson told Bristol24/7: “We want a full reform in maternity services. There’s so many midwives leaving due to burnout, stress and attrition.
“Sixty per cent of midwives are looking to leave the profession in the next year which is leaving maternity services in an unsafe position because there aren’t enough midwives to go around.
“Birth is a universal truth, it has always happened, and we need to protect it at all costs.”
Abbie Sanderson is a midwifery student in Bristol
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) estimate that the UK is short of more than 3,500 midwives. New midwives continue to join the profession but for every 30 newly qualified midwives joining the profession, 29 are leaving.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) stated: “Not a day goes by that we don’t hear of a maternity service having to close temporarily, suspend services or divert women to other maternity units just because there simply aren’t enough midwives.
“This can’t continue because we know it compromises safety and means women don’t always get the safe positive pregnancy and birth experience that they should.”
The Department of Health and Social Care said: “We value the hard work of midwives and are committed to supporting them, including by investing £127 million to NHS maternity services to boost the workforce and improve neonatal care.”
All photos: Betty Woolerton
Read next:
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- Police pay damages to peaceful kill the bill protesters
- ‘We’re being silenced’ – the reality of family courts laid
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