Midwife recruitment event being held at The Hawthorns amid national shortage worries

The Black Country Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) has organised a recruitment event at The Hawthorns, between 9am and 2pm on Wednesday, May 3.

The recruitment event is open to band five and six midwives, band five nurses, qualified in specialty nurses, return to practice midwives and nurses interested in completing a shortened course to become midwives.

Local universities will be promoting courses they run for those returning to midwifery and the shortened midwifery courses, as well as post-graduate training for Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Tongue Tie Practitioners and sexual health courses.

The May event follows last year’s first joint recruitment event across the LMNS for NHS Trusts in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton, which was the first of its kind in the Black Country.

Lucy Murcott, LMNS Workforce Lead, revealed last year's event recruited 15 midwives across Black Country hospital and community services.

She said: “Everyone who attended gave us feedback about how helpful it was to them to be able to speak to existing staff, find out more about some of the specific projects and service improvements across the Trusts and be interviewed that day for roles,” she said.

“So we’re doing it all over again in May and broadening our focus to ensure we highlight the shortened midwifery courses available to Nurses as well as the range of roles that QIS Nurses may be interested in.

“The Black Country is a fantastic place to work and all of our Trusts are looking forward to warmly welcoming potential new recruits this spring.”

The Royal College of Nursing claimed last year there was a shortage of 2000 midwives in England compounded by 677 fewer midwives working in April last year compared to 2021. The latest figures will be released in the next few weeks

Dr Suzanne Tyler, RCM Executive Director, Trade Union, described the staffing shortage as an "exodus" which is impacting the quality of care across the country and lowering the morale of staff.

She said: "We are seeing the situation in our maternity service getting worse and worse as midwife numbers fall and fall and then fall further still.

“We must improve retention of the staff we have, we must bring more into the profession, and we must see a significant increase in the money coming into maternity services. If this does not happen, the quality of care will suffer, safety will suffer and the overburdened, demoralised and fragile maternity workforce will suffer also.”