A lack of both midwives and consultants was a problem for years at the trust according to former employees that Panorama has spoken to. But there are too few staff in maternity wards across the country, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). They say thousands more midwives and hundreds more obstetricians are needed now. Maternity services, they say, need additional funding of up to £300m a year.