MIDWIVES warned yesterday that increasing workloads, staff shortages and stress-related mental health issues were jeopardising patients’ safety.

According to a survey conducted by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), 52 per cent of midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) said they had seen an error, near miss or incident that could have hurt patients in the last month.

Half of respondents also strongly agreed or agreed with the statement: “I am worried about making a mistake at work because I am exhausted.”

RCM said the “disturbing” results revealed that midwives and MSWs were “overworked and under pressure to deliver safe, high-quality care with dwindling resources.”

Forty-eight per cent of respondents said they felt stress every day or most days, and that the most common reasons were workload (78 per cent) and staff shortages (76 per cent).

Only a fifth said they take their breaks most or all of the time and a staggering 62 per cent said they were dehydrated at work because they don’t have time to drink water.

RCM director for services to members Suzanne Tyler said: “When staff are overworked, under intense pressure and struggling to provide the best care, their physical and mental health suffers.”