As strikes over pay loom large this winter, one NHS midwife reveals what it’s really like working in an overstretched maternity unit.
Being a midwife is an emotionally intense role. Patients are often anxious and frightened when they come to us because we only see them in our unit if they’re experiencing problems. We triage people, so the poorliest people get seen first. But others can get frustrated and angry if they have to wait. Sometimes families of patients become aggressive and threaten us – they shout and swear at you to try and get you to see them sooner.
That’s not the hardest part of the job though. Most people have healthy and uncomplicated pregnancies, but sometimes that’s not the case and you have to be the bearer of bad news. You never get used to it. Each time, it’s heartbreaking. You never forget those people. There have been times when I’ve had to tell a couple that I couldn’t find their baby’s heartbeat. After those situations, I’ll often step out of the room and cry. But you have to carry on.
Everyone in the NHS, regardless of their role, is trained to give the gold standard of care. When you‘re working, the reality is different because we don’t have the staff levels to enable that. We feel let down by the government that there’s not enough funding to have the staff levels we need.
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