LONG-TERM investment in the NHS and its staff is needed to prevent the service from haemorrhaging its workers, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said today.

The warning followed a report from the Commons’ health & social-care committee, which found that staff burnout is widespread in the NHS, with excessive workload due to understaffing a key driver.

It calls for burnout to be tackled as a priority by ensuring that the service has the right staffing numbers.

RCM employment relations adviser Alice Sorby said that while there was some investment into NHS maternity services, it was not enough to help exhausted and demoralised midwives, maternity support workers and their NHS colleagues.

She said: “They must be supported to recover from the massive efforts they have made throughout the pandemic, during which time, it’s worth remembering, maternity services never closed.

“The government must also, once and for all, acknowledge the value of NHS staff and step up investment in them to give them hope for the future.

“They must be reassured that their working lives will not be a constant battle to do their very best within a system that does not support them to do it. Now is the time.”

Care England chief executive Professor Martin Green also called for long-term support for the care sector.

 “We want to work with the Prime Minister to ensure that his promise to reform social care is delivered upon and carries the views and experiences of those on the front line. 

“Money alone is not the answer, we need to ensure that social care is established as a career, with the kudos associated with due professionalisation. One way to deliver that would be a 10-year plan for the workforce.”