Former midwives wooed back into NHS with £3,000 golden hello to plug shortage

Maternity boost: Alan Johnson's plan to lure midwives back to the NHS will improve maternity services in the UK

Health secretary Alan Johnson will announce today plans to recruit 4,000 extra midwives over the next three years.

Ministers acted after poor standards in NHS maternity units were linked to low staff levels by the Healthcare Commission watchdog last month - contradicting previous Government denials that this was the case.

The damning study found that more than a third of trusts are not providing one-to-one care from a named midwife, while thousands of mothers were left terrified and alone during labour.

The average maternity unit has 31 midwives per 1,000 deliveries - compared to a guideline level of 36.

Pressure will pile on the Government later in the week when a long-awaited report from the respected health think tank the King's Fund is expected to say NHS maternity units are overstretched.

It will blame a higher than expected birth rate, and a rise in the number of older and overweight mothers, for taking up more and more of the time of midwives and putting babies at risk.

The critical report will also call for more consultants to be employed on maternity wards. There is already a shortage of around 900 and the King's Fund say this will get worse after the European working time directive forces them to work fewer hours.

During a visit to a Newcastle maternity unit today, Mr Johnson will announce that former staff will be offered golden hello packages worth up to £3,000 to help them return to work.

He will say: "The number of births in England is rising. To keep pace with this increase and to improve the quality of care to mothers, we will recruit an additional 1,000 midwives on our wards and in our communities by 2009, rising to around 4,000 by 2012.

"Many of these extra midwives will be new to the profession, but there are also former midwives whose expertise could be brought back to the NHS given the right support.

"This is why we will make up to £3,000 worth of support available to each returning midwife, providing free training and financial support while they study."

The Royal College of Midwives say there is currently a shortage of 5,000 midwives - slightly more than the number the Government has pledged to employ.

But Dame Karlene Davies, RCM general secretary, was happy with the announcement.

"I welcome Alan Johnson's announcement which represents a recognition of the need to increase midwifery numbers," she said.

The RCM will wish to see a sustained programme of support for midwives from the Government. We will continue to work with the Government and the NHS to achieve this.

"This is a significant step along the road to delivering on Maternity Matters, the Government's blue-print for maternity services, and providing a quality service for women, their babies and families."

Former midwives will be offered free training, support with childcare and travel costs plus a cash lump sum of up to £1,500. The total value of the package will be around £3,000.

All strategic health authorities have been asked to compile detailed analyses of midwifery needs in each area of the country so the Government can ensure the right staff go to the right places.

But Conservative health spokesman Andrew Lansley said Gordon Brown had "dithered" for too long.

"After two years of the number of midwives falling, it is clearly right to increase the number of midwives, but it's too late for the Government to meet its promise for every mother giving birth to have her own midwife by 2009," he said.