Speaking ahead of the Royal College of Midwives' Annual Conference, leader of the midwives' union, Cathy Warwick, asserted that the current level of maternity services offered in England is "critical", and although progress is being made, it is not quick enough. She stressed that under the current times, it seems that the target to give would-be-mothers "a choice of where to give birth" would be missed, amidst attempts to squeeze budgets.

Recently, the Government had stressed that extra money was being injected in nationwide drives and staff was being recruited to ensure that there are no shortages, and called maternity care a priority. So far, however, these things seem far-off, especially after a recent survey conveyed that a number of women in NHS hospitals are left alone by midwives during labor or immediately after birth.

"I think we have reached a critical point. Extra money has trickled down, but not enough. We need to make sure we get extra midwives into the NHS, but some places are seeing budgets cut and staffing shortages. The rising birth rate means that services are struggling to develop and maintain a range of care", shared Professor Warwick.

Professor Warwick shared her thoughts as nearly 1,000 midwives and nurses from all over UK gathered in Manchester for a 2 day conference.