Dorchester is getting behind a nationwide vigil to support midwives and call on the government to act on the crisis in maternity services.

March with Midwives is taking place on Sunday (November 21) from 3pm, with a group of mums, supporters, midwives, health care professionals and more meeting in Dorchester opposite The Sydney Arms, at the edge of Dorset County Hospital car park by the traffic lights.

March with Midwives reports that midwives in the UK are leaving their profession, maternity units are closing their doors and the safety of birth in the UK is in crisis as infant and maternal morbidity are on the rise.

A spokesman for the March with Midwives' steering group said: "It is clear that maternity services in the UK are in crisis, giving birth in the UK - a high income country - is becoming critically unsafe. This is unacceptable.

"Where we have women, birthing people and babies at risk, their families, communities and countries become sick. This is a genuine national emergency which impacts every level of society.

"We call on the UK government to implement urgent crisis management and resources. Government promises are not being kept and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Maternity must take responsibility for their silence and call for immediate action."

The group wants the Government to listen to staff, service users and their advocates, fund emergency retention of staff, enable all qualified midwives who are willing to work and support students to enter training and finish their courses, and reduce the demands on staff.

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) estimates the UK is 3,500 midwives short and for every 30 newly qualified midwives, 29 are leaving, meaning the NHS gains only one extra midwife. A recent RCM survey of midwives found 60 per cent of staff are thinking of leaving the profession.

Don't forget to sign up to our newsletter below!

You can submit your own news straight to Dorchester Nub News by using the 'Nub It' button on our home page. This can also be done for events on our What's On page and businesses, groups and organisations on our Local Listings page , also by using the 'Nub It' button.

Please like and follow our online newspaper on your favourite social media channel. You can find us @DorchesterNubNews on Facebook and @DorchesterNub Twitter.