Support staff doing midwives' duties

[AB Asks]

Support staff are doing the jobs of midwives putting pregnant women at risk, a report has announced. Some medical trusts actually took the midwives off the wards and substituted them with support staff, even though the replacements were not trained to do that job. What do you think about this? Should hospitals be more vigilant in making sure support staff don't take on jobs they aren't trained for? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6691787.stm

[dot.hawkes]

It is down to bad management and a poor managing of human resources. The article uses quotes that obviously defend the use of these support workers in many roles within a maternity dept, but the sad fact is that there are not enough qualifies midwives to go around and there does not seem to be a great deal of change to that fact since i had to deliver my grandson at Preston Sharoe Green myself because of a shortage of midwives on a busy night. It seems things have been the same way staffing wise for a good number of years, but the introduction of more support staff has not had the effect it should have.

[pingping]

A friend of mine had a baby about a year ago, and when I went to visit her in hospital, there was dried blood on the floor, and nurses running around like headless chickens because the whole hospital was chronically understaffed � midwives, nurses and cleaning staff alike. I dread to think what germs were floating around in that ward alone.

[Lolliemma]

Aarrgghhhhhhhhh my 2nd baby due in 10 days lol I am already scared enough. With my 1st child I was left for 6 hours waiting for stitches, then was told to have a shower and I would be taken to the ward, after I had shower and was all clean but there was no where in delivery room to sit as bed hadnt been changed from having baby and no chairs available, so was told to stand and wait it wouldnt be long, after waiting another 2 hours to be taken to ward my hubby decided to walk me there himself so I WALKED to ward with my baby and bag and was asked by nurses on ward where I had come from and that they wasnt expecting anyone else to come from labour ward. The midwifes where so busy they hadnt even told ward I was coming. When I eventually got a bed there was no one to show me how to get my baby to feed properly so was up all night struggling then when I fell asleep from total tiredness (started labour 5am had baby lunchtime was waiting till gone 6 for stitches then 8 to go ward then up all night feeding baby ) they woke me up to tell me I had to have my obs done!!!
I think I had 2 conversations with midwives the whole time I was there I didnt see the same 1 twice even the care assistants were run off there feet. I went home at lunchtime that day and the experience made me feel very lonely and depressed it took me a long time to get over the fact I did everything without medical help.
Lets hope this time is different but I doubt it!!!!