New NICE guidance on safe midwife staffing levels published

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published its recommendations on safe midwifery staffing levels in order to ensure better care for new mothers and their children.

The guidance sets out responsibilities for senior managers and details actions organisations should consider as part of their midwifery staff planning, as well as providing insight into how registered midwives on a shift should monitor whether there are sufficient staff to provide care.

It states that women in established labour should always expect to receive one-to-one care, with staffing levels for each maternity service checked at least every six months. The importance of investing further in additional staff was also underlined.

Additionally, the report highlighted potential red flag events that suggest inadequate staffing levels, including delayed care, missed medication during an admission to hospital or midwifery-led unit, or a delay of more than 30 minutes.

Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health and social care at NICE, said: "This new guideline provides evidence-based advice to the NHS on how to ensure midwifery staffing is safe in whichever setting a woman may choose, be it at home, in the community or in hospital."

This comes as part of a wider NHS response to the Francis Inquiry and the Berwick report, which highlighted the dangers that inadequate staffing can pose to patients.