A report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee has said most maternity units do not have enough senior doctors, with poorer care at weekends leaving women at higher risk of complications. The report said women and babies were being left at higher risk of infections and injury at weekends because of shortages of staff, with just 47 per cent of units having enough consultants, and a national shortage of 2,300 midwives. MPs said shortages of midwives and lack of beds meant more than a quarter of maternity units had to close to new patients for half a day or more between April and September 2012.
Half of maternity units are short of senior doctors warn MPs The Telegraph 31 January 2014
Showing posts with label maternity care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maternity care. Show all posts
Friday, January 31, 2014
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Belinda Phipps represented parents in House of Commons
Follow this link to watch a video of Belinda Phipps (NCT's CEO) representing parents to the House of Commons Public Account Committee session on maternity services in England: BBC Democracy Live
Friday, November 15, 2013
Midwifery workloads well above recommended levels
Health organisations recommend that each midwife should handle no more than 28 births a year in order to help ensure safe high-quality care for women. However, in 2012 only the north-east reached that level, with a rate of 28.1 births per full-time equivalent midwife. Maternity units in the NHS South Central region are furthest away from meeting that target, with each midwife handling 40 births last year. But the south-east (36.2 births each) and east of England (35.8) were also nowhere near the figure.
The amount of money going to maternity units in five of the NHS's 10 English regions of the country fell by up to 15% in 2012-13 compared with the previous year. The East Midlands saw the biggest drop, 15% less in 2012-13 than 2011-12. London, North-East, South-West and Yorkshire and the Humber regions also saw lower spending.
The National Childbirth Trust, the baby and parenting charity, accused ministers of breaking pledges to improve maternity care. "It makes no sense that, while birth rates are rising, maternity services are being cut back", said Belinda Phipps, its chief executive. "It is shocking to find that just one English region is meeting recommended staffing levels for maternity care and particularly disappointing after the pledges made by the government to increase midwife numbers", she added.
maternity-care-funding-nhs-cuts The Guardian 13th November 2013
The amount of money going to maternity units in five of the NHS's 10 English regions of the country fell by up to 15% in 2012-13 compared with the previous year. The East Midlands saw the biggest drop, 15% less in 2012-13 than 2011-12. London, North-East, South-West and Yorkshire and the Humber regions also saw lower spending.
The National Childbirth Trust, the baby and parenting charity, accused ministers of breaking pledges to improve maternity care. "It makes no sense that, while birth rates are rising, maternity services are being cut back", said Belinda Phipps, its chief executive. "It is shocking to find that just one English region is meeting recommended staffing levels for maternity care and particularly disappointing after the pledges made by the government to increase midwife numbers", she added.
maternity-care-funding-nhs-cuts The Guardian 13th November 2013
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