Revealed: scale of hospital staff shortages1 in top Tory areas
The maternity unit at the main hospital used by Theresa May’s local constituents is so severely understaffed2 that wards are running with only a quarter3 of the nurses they need, potentially putting mothers’ and babies’ lives at risk.
The Royal Berkshire hospital’s staffing data shows that on some days in March its delivery suite lacked4 two-thirds of the nurses it needed to provide5 safe care, while the midwife-led unit had as few as a third of the preferred number nurses on duty, despite evidence that staff shortages increase the risks of childbirth.
