Four out of five hospitals have too few midwives, despite the ongoing baby boom, official NHS figures reveal.
Midwife shortages are so acute in some parts of England that hospitals have almost one in five posts in their maternity units unfilled, according to responses to freedom of information requests.
In January, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust had a vacancy rate of 17.8%, the highest in England, which means it is 32 midwives below the 208 it needs, according to research conducted by BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.