Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Paragraph: 37
We recommend that the budget for maternity services be increased by £200–350m per annum with...
Recommendation
We recommend that the budget for maternity services be increased by £200–350m per annum with immediate effect. This funding increase should be kept under close review as more precise modelling is carried out on the obstetric workforce and as Trusts continue to undertake regular safe staffing reviews of midwifery workforce levels.
Paragraph Reference:
37
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
24. The Government is considering this recommendation. 25. The inquiry’s report welcomed the recent investment of £95.6m by NHSEI to target the three overarching themes identified in the first Ockenden Report: workforce numbers, training and development programmes to support culture and leadership, and strengthening board assurance and surveillance to identify issues earlier. A significant proportion of this sum will support the recruitment of 1,200 additional midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. 26. As the committee notes, the Department has commissioned the RCOG, to develop a new workforce planning tool to improve how maternity units calculate their medical staffing requirements. 27. The tool will calculate the number of obstetricians at all grades required locally and nationally to provide a safe, personalised maternity service within the context of the wider workforce. 28. The Department remains committed to improving maternity safety and will take the recommendations made by the Committee and its Panel in relation to funding for staffing into consideration. As part of this, we will need to consider an assessment of midwifery and obstetric workforce levels. This assessment would also need to take into consideration time for healthcare professionals to partake in annual multi-disciplinary training and provide personalised care.