London’s Midwife Exodus Leaves Mothers and Staff at Breaking Point
The Royal College of Midwives have called for urgent national action to address staffing shortages, warning unsafe staffing levels are putting mothers, babies and staff at risk.
Mothers and midwives across London have warned City News maternity services are facing a workforce crisis, as high living costs, burnout and chronic understaffing continue to drive midwives out of their jobs.
The Royal College of Midwives have called for urgent action to tackle staffing shortages, warning unsafe staffing levels are negatively affecting mothers, babies and staff, with pressures felt most acutely in high-cost areas such as London.
The warning follows the launch of the Royal College of Midwives Safe Staffing = Safe Care campaign in Parliament, which is calling for minimum and legally enforceable staffing standards across maternity services.
Although up-to-date data specific to London has not been published, national workforce figures illustrate the scale of the challenge. In the year to March 2025, around 21,300 nurses, midwives and nursing associates left the professional register in England, an increase of about 5.6% on the previous year, according to the Royal College of Midwives.
London trusts have long struggled to recruit and retain staff, with midwives citing the capital’s housing costs, workload intensity and lack of flexibility as key reasons for leaving.
Mothers feel the impact on maternity wards
Credit: Adobe Stock
A growing number of mothers say the consequences of staffing shortages are already being felt in wards and delivery rooms across the city.
Marrium Hassan, who gave birth to her first child at a London NHS hospital earlier this year, said her experience was shaped by the pressures facing staff.
“The midwives were kind and professional, but they were clearly stretched,” she said. “At one point, I pressed the call bell and waited nearly 40 minutes. Eventually someone came, she apologised and said she was covering several women on her own.”
Marrium said she had expected one-to-one care during labour, in line with national guidance but this did not happen.
“ I never felt unsafe, but I felt anxious and quite alone at times because it was my first time. You could see the midwives rushing constantly, and it made me worry about whether the care was as safe as it should be.”
Midwives working in London say these experiences reflect the reality of day-to-day practice.
Credit: Adobe Stock
Anusha Manne, an ex midwife, said short staffing had become routine during her time in the role.
“Most shifts, we were working below safe levels,” she said. “You are constantly prioritising and constantly making judgement calls about who needs you most in that moment. That is not how maternity care is meant to work.”
Anusha said the emotional toll of working under constant constraint ultimately pushed her to leave.
“You go home exhausted, replaying the shift and thinking about what you could not do. People do not leave because they do not care. They leave because they care too much and cannot sustain that level of pressure.”
Calls for urgent action in Parliament
Credit: Adobe Stock
According to the Royal College of Midwives, 87 per cent of midwives say their units are not safely staffed, while nearly half report feeling burnt out often or always.
The union warns that unsafe staffing increases the risk of missed warning signs, delayed care and poorer experiences for women and families.
The Safe Staffing Safe Care campaign calls for urgent investment in recruitment and retention, improved workforce planning, and minimum staffing standards that reflect the complexity of modern maternity care.
The Royal College of Midwives argues that without decisive action, staffing gaps will continue to widen, particularly in London and other high-cost regions.
For mothers like Marrium, the issue is deeply personal:
“Giving birth is such a vulnerable moment,” she said, “I do not blame the midwives at all. I blame a system that puts them under that kind of strain.”
“Safe staffing is not a luxury,” Anusha said, “it is fundamental to safe care but until it is properly addressed, London will keep losing midwives, and women and their kids will keep feeling the impact.”
As the Royal College of Midwives presses its case in Parliament, midwives and mothers alike are calling for urgent action to stem London’s midwife exodus before staffing shortages become the defining feature of maternity care in the capital.
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HeadlineLondon’s Midwife Exodus Leaves Mothers and Staff at Breaking Point
Short HeadlineLondon’s Midwife Exodus Leaves Mothers and Staff at Breaking Point
StandfirstThe Royal College of Midwives have called for urgent national action to address staffing shortages, warning unsafe staffing levels are putting mothers, babies and staff at risk.
Mothers and midwives across London have warned City News maternity services are facing a workforce crisis, as high living costs, burnout and chronic understaffing continue to drive midwives out of their jobs.
The Royal College of Midwives have called for urgent action to tackle staffing shortages, warning unsafe staffing levels are negatively affecting mothers, babies and staff, with pressures felt most acutely in high-cost areas such as London.
The warning follows the launch of the Royal College of Midwives Safe Staffing = Safe Care campaign in Parliament, which is calling for minimum and legally enforceable staffing standards across maternity services.
Although up-to-date data specific to London has not been published, national workforce figures illustrate the scale of the challenge. In the year to March 2025, around 21,300 nurses, midwives and nursing associates left the professional register in England, an increase of about 5.6% on the previous year, according to the Royal College of Midwives.
London trusts have long struggled to recruit and retain staff, with midwives citing the capital’s housing costs, workload intensity and lack of flexibility as key reasons for leaving.
Mothers feel the impact on maternity wards
Credit: Adobe Stock
A growing number of mothers say the consequences of staffing shortages are already being felt in wards and delivery rooms across the city.
Marrium Hassan, who gave birth to her first child at a London NHS hospital earlier this year, said her experience was shaped by the pressures facing staff.
“The midwives were kind and professional, but they were clearly stretched,” she said. “At one point, I pressed the call bell and waited nearly 40 minutes. Eventually someone came, she apologised and said she was covering several women on her own.”
Marrium said she had expected one-to-one care during labour, in line with national guidance but this did not happen.
“ I never felt unsafe, but I felt anxious and quite alone at times because it was my first time. You could see the midwives rushing constantly, and it made me worry about whether the care was as safe as it should be.”
Midwives working in London say these experiences reflect the reality of day-to-day practice.
Credit: Adobe Stock
Anusha Manne, an ex midwife, said short staffing had become routine during her time in the role.
“Most shifts, we were working below safe levels,” she said. “You are constantly prioritising and constantly making judgement calls about who needs you most in that moment. That is not how maternity care is meant to work.”
Anusha said the emotional toll of working under constant constraint ultimately pushed her to leave.
“You go home exhausted, replaying the shift and thinking about what you could not do. People do not leave because they do not care. They leave because they care too much and cannot sustain that level of pressure.”
Calls for urgent action in Parliament
Credit: Adobe Stock
According to the Royal College of Midwives, 87 per cent of midwives say their units are not safely staffed, while nearly half report feeling burnt out often or always.
The union warns that unsafe staffing increases the risk of missed warning signs, delayed care and poorer experiences for women and families.
The Safe Staffing Safe Care campaign calls for urgent investment in recruitment and retention, improved workforce planning, and minimum staffing standards that reflect the complexity of modern maternity care.
The Royal College of Midwives argues that without decisive action, staffing gaps will continue to widen, particularly in London and other high-cost regions.
For mothers like Marrium, the issue is deeply personal:
“Giving birth is such a vulnerable moment,” she said, “I do not blame the midwives at all. I blame a system that puts them under that kind of strain.”
“Safe staffing is not a luxury,” Anusha said, “it is fundamental to safe care but until it is properly addressed, London will keep losing midwives, and women and their kids will keep feeling the impact.”
As the Royal College of Midwives presses its case in Parliament, midwives and mothers alike are calling for urgent action to stem London’s midwife exodus before staffing shortages become the defining feature of maternity care in the capital.
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