Increasing global recruitment of midwives is the only solution to tackling a chronic shortage of UK these workers in the UK, according to Kate Bleasdale, executive vice chairman of Healthcare locums (HCL).

Bleasdale’s comments come in response to a warning from Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, that the UK’s existing workforce of midwives is not big enough to cope with the surge in birthrates, and in increasingly complex pregnancies and births.

Bleasdale says: “The market for midwives is increasingly a global one and the UK should embrace and welcome that. Looking beyond our own borders to source pools of talent across the globe will facilitate the sharing of best practice in midwifery and result in a better service for mothers and families.”