New midwives to join hospital amid maternity review

The midwives will join maternity services at the Queen's Medical Centre (pictured) and Nottingham City Hospital

The hospitals at the centre of the Nottingham maternity review are set to welcome 49 new midwives.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) launched a recruitment drive earlier in the year, with 18 international midwives already appointed.

Chief executive Anthony May apologised in July after employees raised concerns about staffing levels and the mix of skills among workers, which had prompted an inspection by the Care Quality Commission.

The new midwives are part of improvement plans for the maternity services, which remain under review by senior midwife Donna Ockenden, whose final findings are expected in September 2025.

Chief executive Anthony May said earlier that the trust had the budget to staff above the national guidelines

They will join services at Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen's Medical Centre in five cohorts over the next weeks, up to 21 October.

According to NUH, the 49 midwives - some who will be arriving from overseas - consist of newly qualified and experienced staff.

Mr May told the BBC in July that maternity staff would be supported by other practicing midwives and a preceptorship scheme to help newly-qualified midwives adapt and grow into their starting roles.

He added that no newly-qualified midwives who had joined the trust in the last 12 months had subsequently left and that it was "doing well" at retaining staff.

The trust said in the last year, the maternity staff turnover rate at NUH had improved from 13.41% in July 2023 to 8.45% in July 2024.

Marisa Hickman, maternity workforce matron, said: "The new recruits have significantly reduced our vacancies, and we are looking forward to growing and nurturing them to become highly skilled professionals that remain at NUH throughout their career."