A NHS hospital trust will spend over £1million on staffing at an Essex maternity ward after reports of a shortage.

Princess Alexandra Hospital,  in Harlow, will recruit approximately 22 new posts in its midwifery team at a cost of £1,049,180 reports the Local Democracy Reporter.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust says it currently has enough frontline midwives, but is now growing the team.

According to a trust report, reviews by the director of midwifery, and staffing tool Birthrate Plus, identified a deficit of clinical midwives, maternity support workers, and specialist and managerial positions.

The reviews recommended an investment be made to “maintain safe staffing.”

Giuseppe Labriola, director of midwifery at the trust, said in a statement: “Following the approval of the midwifery workforce review paper at our board meeting on 3 February 2022, we will be investing in additional posts across our midwifery team.

“While we currently have sufficient frontline clinical midwives in all areas, we are now growing our team with additional midwives to support our new maternity support workers, specialist midwives, and we are strengthening our clinical leadership. 

“In total, we are investing in approximately 22 whole time equivalent (WTE) posts.

“We are looking forward to recruiting new members of our team, developing our maternity service to benefit families for the future.”

£1,049,180 is required to provide the additional roles needed to maintain safe staffing, the report continues.

The trust has received £1,055,822 in funding which can contribute to the cost of the workforce, including £205,822 in Ockenden funding.

The Ockenden report was based on failings in maternity care at the Shrewsbury and Telford maternity hospital, and was published in December 2020.

An extra £95.9m was given to maternity services in England as a response, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

£850,000 has also been received because the service met year three of the Maternity Incentive Scheme.

According to the report, funding will be released to enable the recruitment process in the last quarter of the financial year 2021-2022.

A Perinatal Mental Health Midwife will be funded at a cost of £57, 227 in the first quarter of 2022-2023.

£235,179 for a Consultant Midwife, Diabetic Midwife, Matron and Governance administrator will then be made available in the second quarter of that year, the report continues.

Money for a Preceptor Support Midwife and Fetal Medicine will be released in the third quarter, totalling £114, 454.