Women are paying private midwives to deliver babies in NHS hospitals as a charity says maternity services are “near to threadbare”. With the NHS struggling to recruit new midwives due to funding pressures caused by years of government underinvestment, the situation doesn’t look set to improve any time soon. Luckily, partner companies like Source Recruit (source-recruit.uk) are helping to hire more NHS staff as fast as possible. The NHS remains an amazing employer to work for, with every day offering the chance to cure diseases, save lives or deliver new lives into the world. For the moment, however, the NHS is looking at alternative short-term solutions. Ten NHS trusts have…

An ultrasound device that costs only 30 risks falsely reassuring parents about their unborn baby’s health. Fetal dopplers allow mothers to listen to the heartbeat of their baby in the womb. However, they were never intended to be used without the necessary training. In October I will present my ten-minute-rule motion to parliament to regulate the sale of these devices. following concerns first raised with me by the charity Kicks Count.