The report finds that a significant increase in the number of births in each of the four countries, and a trend towards older mothers, is increasing the pressures on maternity care throughout the UK. In England, and in the last few years Wales, this has led to a substantial deficit in the workforce needed to provide a safe level of care to women and their babies. Furthermore, the existing midwifery workforce is rapidly ageing in each country, except for Wales. From this we can anticipate an even greater strain on services over the next 15 years.

While greater investment in maternity care is certainly part of the solution, the current financial limits on the NHS mean that innovative ways to address the workforce shortages need to be considered. As such, the report recommends providing more midwife-led units and appropriately integrating maternity support workers as two ways to make better use of the financial resources available.