Winter weather can cause chaos on the roads, making the job of a community midwife far harder. Gareth Price looks at the innovative solution of one group of midwives and the impact that winter tyres can have.
Last winter’s harsh bite left the UK in a state of chaos for weeks. The economy was hit by the cost of lost working hours as many people were forced, or chose, to stay at home rather than venture out. However, for community midwives visiting women in the worst affected parts of the country, the motivation to keep appointments was admirable.
One such example came from Humberside, where a team of midwives took inspiration from Arctic explorers when it came to undertaking their duties while the UK struggled under a blanket of snow. Midwife Barbara Curtis and her colleagues in Hull came up with a novel idea that allowed them to leave their vehicles by the side of the snow-logged road: they then travelled the untreated rural roads on foot, while dragging their kit behind on sledges.
‘The main problem was the ice, and the local council only cleared main routes, leaving it almost impossible for us to drive anywhere,’ Barbara explains. ‘Although the main routes were kept open we could not get down side streets and my colleagues in rural areas could not get onto a main route, so they decided to walk to see women and used sledges to carry equipment.’
Those midwives who could get to a hospital did so, setting up a clinic for anyone who wanted to be seen, and they telephoned those women who could not be reached. The management did its part too and the trust arranged for four-wheel drive vehicles to bring staff to the hospital.
Some of the team have now invested in winter tyres, which make driving on snowy roads an easier task. The modified tread bites into the snow for a far greater grip and the potential hazards of skidding and wheel spinning are greatly reduced.
But, at a higher cost than regular tyres, are they worth the investment? Rhoda Grant, MSP for the Highlands and Islands, believes so. She feels health workers should be helped in equipping their vehicles to cope with the snowy condition her constituency is so often blighted by.
Last winter, a number of community nurses in Rhoda’s constituency contacted her and complained that they were not allowed to fit their lease cars with winter tyres. This was the case despite the fact they had to travel regularly on roads that were either inadequately gritted or so infrequently passed that the gritting salt wasn’t churned in to melt the ice.
After taking the matter up with NHS Highland, Rhoda was told by chief executive Elaine Mead that lease companies do not provide or support winter tyres as a standard on all lease vehicles.
They can be fitted for business and private use but only at the expense of the driver, while ordinary tyres are fitted free of charge under the lease contract.
Rhoda comments on her website: ‘It seems to be ludicrous that community staff are prevented from having their cars fitted with tyres that are more appropriate to the winter conditions in the areas they cover.’
Rhoda’s office say that no progress has been made on the matter, but she hopes that NHS chiefs will see the necessity for winter tyres to be fitted as a matter of course on all lease vehicles used by staff who find themselves often travelling in bad weather to provide care.
The RAC, an organisation that as standard recommends people don’t make car journeys when the roads are covered in snow, accepts that a midwife gets little say in the matter. But as far as it is concerned, the jury is out on snow tyres.
An RAC spokesperson says: ‘With the current cost of motoring, would the expense of buying these tyres be justifiable? It’s probably likely to be in excess of £400.’ But, while the tyres are not cheap, changing between summer and winter tyres means each set will last longer.
Tyre manufacturer Goodyear suggests that standard tyres suffer greater wear in winter conditions so, by saving them from the grit and icy temperatures of the coldest months, you can prolong their working life, meaning you don’t have to shell out for a new set so often. This leaves car owners and transport managers with a tricky dilemma – a case of short-term cost versus long-term spending.
While it is community nurses who drew Rhoda’s initial attention, it is an issue that affects community midwives to a greater degree. When a baby is ready, he or she pays no heed to the prevailing conditions. A midwife on-call would have greater confidence in making a journey if the car was fitted out to cope with a blanket of snow.
Whether or not trust managers opt for providing winter tyres for mobile staff, a touch of ingenuity, such as that shown by Barbara and her colleagues in Hull last winter, would not go amiss.
Top tips for winter travel
- Tell your manager where you are going before setting off
- Make sure your mobile phone is fully charged
- Ring ahead to find out what conditions are like
- Leave extra time for home birth journeys, to avoid rushing in icy conditions
- Wear layers and waterproof footwear with non-slip soles
- Take food, a blanket and a flask of hot drink with you
- Carry a shovel to dig your tyres out of the snow
- A length of old carpet can be put under the tyres for grip
- Reduce speed and avoid fast acceleration and sudden breaking
- If you skid, ease off the accelerator and steer into the direction of the skid
- When driving downhill, choose third or fourth gear to prevent skidding
- Apply brakes gently, release them and de-clutch if the car skids
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