On Monday (28 November) afternoon the figure was passed – meaning it now has more than a fifth of the signatures required to force a parliamentary debate.
The petition, which demands ‘urgent action’ from the Department of Health, was set up by RCM chief executive Cathy Warwick.
It is on the government’s
e-petition website and has until 22 August 2012 to reach the 100,000 signatures needed for the issue to be debated by MPs.
Those who have not yet signed are being asked to do so and everyone is being urged to publicise the petition.
People are being encouraged to use social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to spread the word.
The petition states that more babies were born in England in 2010 than in any year since 1972, whilst births to women aged 30 or older were at their highest since 1946.
It continues: ‘The NHS is desperately short of midwives, and the shortage affects every region of England.
‘We need urgent action from the government, including a target to recruit the equivalent of 5000 more full-time midwives.
‘Care for women but especially babies at the very start of life should be shielded from the cuts.’
