The study found that poor postnatal care was an “almost universal theme”, with women “left behind in bloody sheets or ringing a bell for help only to find no one there.” He shared the story of “He didn't come.”
Monday 13 May 2024 10:57 UK
The Health Secretary has apologized after a new report concluded that poor care in maternity services was “often accepted as business as usual”.
A parliamentary inquiry found maternity services to be of “appallingly low quality”, resulting in inconsiderate care and a system where “poor care is normalized” did.
The Birth Trauma Inquiry, led by Conservative MP Theo Clark and Labor MP Rosie Duffield, considered evidence from more than 1,300 women and called for a national plan to improve maternity care.
Poor quality postnatal care was found to be an “almost universal theme”.
“Women shared stories of being left behind in blood-stained sheets and of ringing bells for help but no one came,” the report said.
It made 12 recommendations, including that the government establish an obstetrics committee that reports directly to the prime minister.
“Having a baby robbed me of my joy.”
long-term problems
Health Minister Maria Caulfield told Sky News that maternity services were not where they should be and apologized to the mothers affected.
“We know that maternity services are not where we would like them to be, but there is a lot of work being done in this area,” Ms Caulfield said.
“This has been an issue for a long time, which is why childbirth is a priority area for women's health strategies.”
He said the study aimed to help pregnant women receive better care during their pregnancy, rather than waiting until just before giving birth.
Around £1.1bn, more than a third of the total NHS maternity and neonatal budget, was spent on cash payments related to clinical negligence in 2022/23, according to a Department for Health and Social Care report.
Recommendations from the Birth Trauma Investigation Team
The Birth Trauma Survey aims to explore the realities of childbirth and how the UK can improve its maternity services in practice.
One of the report's key conclusions is the implementation of a national maternal and child improvement strategy led by the Obstetrics Commissioner, who reports directly to the Prime Minister.
This improvement strategy outlines 12 recommendations, with the aim of introducing basic standards into maternity services across the UK.
1. Recruit, train, and retain more midwives, obstetricians, and anesthesiologists and provide them with mandatory training in trauma-informed care.
2. Provide universal access to specialist maternal mental health services across the UK to end the 'postcode lottery'.
3. We offer all mothers a personalized check-up by a GP every 6 weeks after birth. This includes questions about the mother's physical and mental health.
4. Roll out and implement the OASI (Obstetric and Anal Sphincter Injuries) care bundle across all hospital trusts to reduce the risk of birth injuries.
5. Oversee the national rollout of standardized postnatal services to provide all mothers with a safe space to share their birth experiences.
6. Ensure better education for women on reproductive choices. All her NHS trusts should offer antenatal classes.
7. Respect the mother's choices regarding delivery and access to pain medication, and keep mother and baby together as much as possible.
8. Provide support to fathers and ensure that designated birth partners are continuously informed and updated during and after labor.
9. Improve continuity of care, digitize maternal health records, and improve communication between primary and secondary care pathways.
10.Extend the time limit for medical negligence lawsuits related to childbirth from three years to five years.
11. Commit to addressing inequalities in maternity care among ethnic minorities, particularly black and Asian women.
12. The NIHR will commission research into the economic impact of birth trauma and injury, including factors that delay women's return to work.
Other recommendations put forward by the Birth Trauma Commission include retraining and increasing the number of midwives, providing a personalized check-up six weeks after birth by a GP for all mothers, and providing fathers or nominated birth partners with This includes providing support and educating women about their childbearing choices.
It also recommends extending the time limit for medical negligence lawsuits related to childbirth from three years.
Up to 5 years.
read more:
Women 'fail at every stage' of maternity care
Mother left with injuries after giving birth breaks 'silence'
Grieving parents seek national guidance after failure
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said she was “determined to improve the quality and consistency of care for women throughout pregnancy, childbirth and the critical months that follow.”
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting called the report “groundbreaking” and said Labor would work in the same bipartisan spirit to deliver a result.
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“There's still a lot of work to do.”
After her own traumatic birth experience, Sandra Igwe founded The Motherhood Group and has been campaigning for the past eight years. When she gave birth to her third child earlier this year, she expected the outcome to be different.
“Sadly, for the third time again my concerns were ignored and I was forced to wait several days to give birth after induction, which added to my anxiety,” she told Sky News correspondent Sherman Freeman. told Powell.
“It turns out there’s still a lot of work to do.”
Image: Sandra Igwe has spent the past eight years campaigning for better maternity services.
She is currently working with Southwark Council's cabinet member for health and wellbeing, Councilor Evelyn Akoto, to gather the experiences of women from different backgrounds on maternity committees.
“Poor quality” of obstetric services
Akoto said she too had been made redundant and ignored while giving birth, and said the statistics faced by black and minority ethnic women were “horrifying”.
“I see myself and other Black women as walking statistics,” she says. “I see our lives constantly at risk.”
The MP said inequalities needed to be addressed to improve the quality of care across maternity services.
“If we can do it right for those who are adversely affected, we can do it right for everyone,” she added. “So it's important that we all come together to solve this problem.”
