Concerns over a shortage of midwives is nothing new.

In 2012, Pudsey WI was one of 18 delegates attending the National Federation of Women’s Institutes annual meeting in London where members supported the resolution to increase investment in training and employment of midwives in England and Wales.

Two years on, the campaign remains one of the WI’s most popular in recent years and members have vowed to continue, as pressure increases to tackle this issue which is now being discussed within the political arena.

The Commons Public Accounts Committee said recently it had gathered evidence that “many maternity services are running at a loss, or at best breaking even, and that the available funding may be insufficient for trusts to employ enough midwives and consultants to provide high quality, safe care”.

The report added that while there had been a welcome increase, there is still a national shortage of some 2,300 midwives required to meet current birth rates.

“Pressure on staff leads to low morale and nearly one-third of midwives with less than ten years’ work experience are intending to leave the profession within a year,” said the report.

MPs called for women to be given more choice over where to give birth after research revealed out of 5,000 women only a quarter wanted to give birth in a hospital obstetric unit.

Eighty seven per cent of women gave birth in this setting in 2012 and almost half of women surveyed said they wanted to give birth in a midwife-led unit inside a hospital.

“The vast majority of women who use NHS services to have their babies have good experiences, but outcomes and performance could still be much better,” says committee chairman Margaret Hodge.

Helena Harrington, chairman of the West Yorkshire Federation of Women’s Institutes and a member of Wilsden WI, refers to the varied experiences of some local mums, claiming some had received excellent service while others saw room for improvement.

One criticism, she says, is the lack of time midwives have to spend with mums during the birth. “The need is there for more midwives, I think that is without doubt,” adds Helena.

As part of its ongoing campaign, the WI is liaising with MPs, the NHS and hospital authorities.

“I think it will be an ongoing campaign for quite a while, it will stay there until those in authority are listening to what is needed,” says Helena.

The reason why there is a shortage of midwives is not specific. according to Helena.

“Experienced midwives will tell you there is nothing more satisfying then being a midwife, so whether the training is quite a long time or whether the salary isn’t enough that young women and men today would expect, I don’t know.”

Helena also questions whether long working hours and pressures within hospitals such as insufficient staff may also have a bearing on the issue.

Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, says: “Maternity services are many thousands of midwives short of the number needed to deliver safe, high-quality care. The birth rate remains exceptionally high and as this and the Audit Office report states, births are also becoming increasingly complex. This puts even more demands on midwives and maternity services.

“We are seeing areas such as antenatal and postnatal care, in particular, suffering because trusts often do not have enough midwives to provide consistent and high-quality care before and after pregnancy. These periods are just as vital for the health and wellbeing of women and their babies as the time around the actual birth.”

She says many maternity units often close their doors because they simply do not have enough staff to deliver safe care.

“This reduces or removes choice for women, leaving them upset, stressed and deeply disappointed with their experience. We will also struggle to tackle the often huge inequality that exists because of the lack of midwives. This means that many women, often the most vulnerable and those that need the most help and support, are not being served well by the NHS.”

Cathy says while they recognise the Government have made progress, it is another ‘wake-up call’ for them which they need to act on.