New research suggests that many women who give birth in hospital may be receiving poor care.

 

The research, funded by the Healthcare Commission and produced by the National Perinatal and Epidemiology Unit in Oxford, surveyed 5,000 mothers who had recently given birth in hospital. It sought information on the levels of both antenatal and postnatal care. As many as a fifth of mothers reported not having a doctor or midwife present throughout the birth. This directly contravenes official guidelines which state that continuous care should be provided during childbirth.

 

The survey also revealed high levels of dissatisfaction with postnatal care. Conditions were frequently described as noisy, distracting and likely to cause high levels of stress and complaints were made that there is insufficient support for first-time mothers.

 

Birth injuries account for 60 per cent of the highest compensation payments made by NHS Trusts in settlement of medical negligence claims. There is also some evidence pointing to a rise in the rates of birth injuries in the NHS.

 

The potential cost of compensation claims for birth injuries has led to the Government recently introducing compulsory medical negligence insurance for midwives.