Magnification of existing problems: maternity services in
crisis
Our findings showed an emerging chronological narrative of how a sudden
influx of staff and resources early in the pandemic, combined with a
sense of camaraderie, public support and professional pride, led to an
unexpectedly positive work environment. However, these protective
factors did not last; the initial boost was quickly followed by warnings
of deteriorating morale, compassion fatigue and moral distress. The
reasons for this were complex, with interviewees reporting fundamental
issues with staff recruitment and retention, deteriorating physical and
psychological wellbeing, and unmanageable workloads. A lack of emotional
resources and focus on a ‘checkbox’ style system of care, with
overwhelming documentation and supposed safety measures which
paradoxically made it harder for staff to be ‘with woman’, were reported
to be at odds with the safe and personalised care that they wanted to
provide. The sustained pressures of the pandemic magnified these daily
struggles, which led to a loss of meaning and of loss of desire to
continue working within maternity.
Respondents reported making a consistent professional effort to maintain
safety for service users, sometimes at the expense of their own
wellbeing. This may contribute to the fact that around half of the women
who were interviewed did not mention staff wellbeing. However, 13 women
out of the 26 interviews in our sample indicated that they were very
aware of staffing shortages and the way it affected their experience of
care, with more reports of dissatisfaction given by those in our sample
who birthed later in the pandemic.