SOME 6,000 babies are likely to be born in Kirklees this year.

That will be a slight increase on 2010 and evidence of a continued “baby boom”.

A national baby boom has coincided with a shortage of midwives, it has been claimed.

According to the Office of National Statistics, there has been a rise in births across England.

It has come at the same time as the Royal College of Midwives has announced an urgent need for a further 5,000 midwives nationally.

But Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust, which runs Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, said that the shortage of midwives has not affected them and they are “fully recruited”.

Births have increased in Kirklees however.

Figures supplied by NHS Kirklees show a 2.6% rise in live births over the past three years – an increase of 151 babies.

NHS Kirklees, a Primary Care Trust, oversees GPs, dentists and opticians in Kirklees. It also commissions primary, community and hospital services on behalf of patients.

An NHS Kirklees spokeswoman said: “The live birth figure for 2010 was 5,805 yet was 5,654 in 2007.

“We are expecting this to rise to about 6,000 in 2011.”

Helen Severns, assistant director of commissioning and strategic development for children and maternity services for Kirklees PCT, said: “We have seen a slight continuing increase in the number of births in Kirklees, with higher numbers in the north.

“To support this, we will be reviewing maternity services across the whole of the district to make sure they are meeting needs and continue to normalise births and give choice to parents.”

Figures for the birthrate in 2011 will only be available at the end of the year.

Leader of the Royal College of Midwives, Cathy Warwick, said that the numbers of midwives have not adequately met the birthrate within England – which has risen 22% in the past two decades.

She said: “I have become so concerned about the shortage of midwives that I have lodged an e-petition with Parliament calling for the government to set a target of 5,000 more NHS midwives in England.

“Without this increase in midwife numbers and investment I have real fears that our maternity services could be heading towards a point where not only the quality of care is threatened, but safety as well.”

A trust spokesman said: “We are fully staffed.

“We have an excellent reputation and find we have no shortage of applicants when we are recruiting.

“The midwives are essential to providingŠ safe, high quality care for womenŠ at all stages of their pregnancy.

“We are very proud of our maternity staff and our reputation.’’Š