For immediate release Thursday, 28th February 2013

Commenting on the NHS staff survey published today, Louise Silverton, Director for Midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “The number of midwives reporting that they do not have enough staff to do their job well or give the level of care they want to is a real concern.  However, it perhaps should not come as a surprise given that we are short of 5000 midwives in England.

“There is no doubt that the government are increasing the number of midwives but the birthrate continues to rise and an increasing number of the pregnancies are becoming more complicated. Midwife numbers are still playing catch-up after a decade or more of understaffing.

“Midwives are one of the most dissatisfied groups  when it comes to job satisfaction.  These results show that not only are midwives deeply frustrated by this, but that the service is perhaps too often not offering the quality of care midwives want to deliver and women should expect.”

For further information please contact the RCM Press Office on 020 7312 3456, pressofficer@rcm.org.uk. 

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Notes to editors


The Royal College of Midwives is the voice of midwifery. We are the UK’s only trade union and professional organisation led by midwives for midwives. The vast majority of the midwifery profession are our members. The RCM promotes midwifery, quality maternity services and professional standards. We support and represent our members individually and collectively in all four UK countries.  We influence on behalf of our members and for the interests of the women and families for which they care.