With 5,000 births a year in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells alone, there is a significant workload for midwives and while recruits are coming forward, there is concern they are not remaining in the profession.

Mary Tunbridge of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said a survey of midwives at the trust revealed an average age of over 40.

She said she too is concerned that younger staff seem less able to cope with the rigours of modern midwifery.

Low risk births

The shortages mean fewer midwives are having to work harder to cope with a steady birthrate.

Where 35 births is said to be a manageable caseload - the average in Kent is between 50 and 60.

There are two birthing centres in the region which are maternity units run by midwives.

In Dover and at the Crowborough Birthing Centre in East Sussex, they specialise in low risk births and are remote from other hospital sites.

At Crowborough, 326 babies were born from April 2002 until the end of March this year and half were water births.

There are also independent midwives such as Virginia Howes who decided to make the change from the NHS because she believed in the benefits of having continuity of care.

The Royal College of Midwives conclude members feel staffing levels are insufficient to enable midwives to practise midwifery effectively.

It calls on health trusts to re-examine the way midwives work and that only through changing practices will more midwives staff in the profession and others chose to join it.