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It seems that the Government may have been a little too hopeful with their plan to improve maternity services by offering women a choice by 2009 about where they can give birth by and that, instead, an increase in claims for birth injury compensation could be looming.
UK's midwives already have an enormous responsibility to expectant mothers and their babies but the Conservative Party believe that they are now under unbelievable pressure with a demand to assist 25% more deliveries than is deemed appropriate.
The Conservatives have picked up on what they think is a flaw in the system and there is concern that a recent increase in fertility coupled with such inaccurate birth rate estimates, a rise in the amount of birth injury compensation claims made could be just around the corner.
According to the Tories, from 2001 to 2007, the number of live births has increased by 12.5% whereas the quantity of midwives has only increased by 4.5%.
Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, commented, "Labour's flagship policy to offer choices to expectant mothers over where and how they give birth is underpinned by assumptions about the number of births which are wide of the mark.
"Across the country, birth centres are closing and the Government's promise of more home births is not being acted on. We are 3,600 midwives short and yet the number of midwives is going and newly trained midwives can't find jobs."
The Royal College of Midwives carried out a survey of heads of midwifery in May, which found that around 75% had seen a birth rate increase on their units and more than 80% did not have adequate staffing levels to manage such an increase.
In their defence, the Department of Health have said, "There are now 2,423 more midwives than there were 10 years ago. The number of students entering the profession has risen by 44%. And 80% of women are happy with the maternity services they receive. This is hardly a picture of chaos'."
They insist that the Conservatives are guilty of "irresponsible scaremongering" and are adamant that there is not an increased risk of birth injuries.
Whatever the current circumstances of the maternity services in the UK, there still appears to be a desperate need to reduce the amount of birth injury compensation claims that result from clinical negligence.
