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Maternity services are failing women |
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29 January 2008 |
Maternity services are failing women, according to a new report.
Independent watchdog the Healthcare Commission found an enormous variation in quality of care across England, with women in London receiving the worst service.
Maternity services are failing women, according to a new report.
Independent watchdog the Healthcare Commission found an enormous variation in quality of care across England, with women in London receiving the worst service.
The report also highlighted problems with staffing and inadequate screening checks in some trusts. Just over a quarter of the 148 trusts assessed were classed as 'best performing' on 25 factors which included screening tests, ante-natal care and midwife support. But 21% of trusts fell into the 'least well performing' category.
In London, antenatal and postnatal care tended to be consistently poorer, with women not having as many checks as recommended, and inconsistent quality of care around the time of birth. Whereas in the North, 33 out of 44 trusts were ranked as 'better performing' or 'best performing'.
The review also took into account a survey of 26,000 mothers and was launched in response to concerns about maternity services.
Detail from the investigation shows that 40% of ultrasound scans carried out fail to fully check for abnormalities in unborn babies. A quarter of trusts reported breast feeding initiation rates of 58% or less, while the highest performing trusts reported rates of 78% or more.
A third of hospitals did not have the recommended level of attendance by consultants, and nine trusts had only 26 midwives per 1,000 deliveries compared with an average of 31 midwives per 1000 deliveries. Experts recommend 36 per 1,000 to achieve one-to-one care.
Anna Walker, the Commission's chief executive, said care in the worst performing trusts was not unsafe and they would take immediate action if it was.
Mary Newburn, of the National Childbirth Trust, said: 'Women can be emotionally traumatised by a lack of support when they are in labour or coping with a new baby, and can be left needing months of physical or psychological recovery with long-term scars.'
Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced extra funding for maternity services that will increase over the next three years to reach an additional |
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