MIDWIVES returning to the NHS as part of a Government campaign have until now been retraining without pay.

The rules were changed this week -- but how have the lives of these dedicated professionals been affected?

Millions of pounds have been spent by the Government in encouraging former employees back into the nursing profession.

Television advertising showing a small boy injured in a road accident who was "picked up" by more than 30 NHS staff tugged at the heartstrings of many nurses who, for one reason or another, believed it was now time to return to their vocation.

But midwives who are currently retraining have been working without pay - and that includes delivering babies - for the duration of their refresher courses.

Two East Lancashire mums, Rabia Patel and Lynne Lynch, are examples of how the health service had until yesterday rewarded returning midwives' devotion to duty with an empty wage packet for hundreds of hours' work.

But now, as part of a £100m package for maternity services unveiled to the Royal College of Midwives by Health Secretary Alan Milburn, midwives are to be given £1,500 during their retraining as from April 1.

Mother-of-three Lynne, 43, is separated from her partner and admits the switch from a paid job to having no wage had put a strain on her finances.

Her ex-husband pays maintenance for the children, aged 12, 14 and 16, but his payments are slightly too high for Lynne to be able to claim any state benefit for herself.

And to add to her financial belt-tightening, she has to drive from her home in Brinscall, near Chorley, to Queen's Park Hospital in Blackburn for her retraining and pay 30p per day to park in the hospital car park. Lynne gave up an administrative job in the legal profession a few months ago to retrain after leaving midwifery 10 years ago.

Speaking before she knew of Alan Milburn's announcement on extra cash for midwifery services, she said: "I left midwifery to bring up my children.

"My youngest is 12 and I feel they now are of an age where I can return to work, even to do shift work. I am a midwife through and through and I thought the time was right to return to the practice that I love.

"I have risked a lot. I have left a career to do this retraining and there may not be a job at the end of it.

"There are no travel expenses, or grants for the books we need, or pay. It is causing me financial problems and costing me to come to work.

"I am not saying it is necessary to get full pay, but a nominal sum of, say, £50 a week would help. I feel really strongly about this. It is going to cost a lot less to train Rabia and I because of the training we have already done.

"The children have been really good because they know this is what I want to do."

Rabia, also a mother-of-three, has also been out of midwifery for 10 years and has 360 hours to make up in terms of retraining before she can be re-registered with the UK Central Council and go back on the practising midwives' register.

The retraining involves both women attending the University of Central Lancashire at Preston one day a week as well as working at Queen's Park Hospital.

"They run a 12-week course, but everybody has different hours to make up depending on how long they have been out of the profession," Rabia said.

But both know there is no guarantee of a job at the end of their retraining.

Christine Hindle, midwife manager for the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust, said: "We want to support people like Rabia and Lynne, but cannot promise a place for them here.

"We like to think we can do our best to find positions once we have retrained people but it is not always possible and people coming on these courses know that."

Rabia, 40, who lives in Blackburn, said: "We have an assignment to do and we are monitored all through our clinical practice. It is a matter of refreshing and upgrading our skills - a lot of things have changed, and a lot of things we did then we don't do now."

Teams of midwives now look after mothers at the ante-natal stage, during delivery and afterwards.

"On a professional level the atmosphere is a lot more friendly and a lot more orientated towards the mothers," Rabia said.

One thing that is apparent to staff, patients and visitors alike is the change in clothing for midwives.

When Lynne and Rabia were delivering babies more than 10 years ago, midwives wore starched uniforms and hats and dresses with silver buckles.

Now both look equally smart and professional in casual tops and trousers.

Mrs Hindle said: "It is not the uniform that makes you a professional. It is the way you behave."