14 newborns dying every day on NHS baby wards
WOMEN are being failed by NHS maternity services with more than 14 babies a day in England either stillborn or dying within seven days of their birth, according to a scathing report by MPs.
It said there were 5,183 such tragedies in England in 2011 – at rates higher than in other UK nations.
Separate data from the World Health Organisation reveals that the country’s stillbirth rate is 3.5 per 1,000 births. Only a handful of European countries including France, Austria, Latvia, Bosnia and Romania have a worse rate.
The damning report on maternity care by MPs on the Public Accounts Committee found there is too much variation in the quality of care offered by different trusts. Many units are
‘This is just not good enough’
desperately understaffed – half do not have enough consultants and there is a ‘truly worrying’ national shortage of 2,300 midwives.
Care is even worse at weekends when there are few senior doctors on duty and babies are more likely to suffer brain damage or spinal injury. The National Audit Office found recently that babies born at weekends were 13 per cent more likely to come to harm.
The lack of consultants means maternity units tend to be staffed by junior doctors who may not act quickly enough during complicated births.
The MPs also say women are not being given enough choice and nearly nine out of ten give birth in hospital even though only a quarter want to. NHS maternity services have come under increasing strain in recent years, driven by a rising birth rate and more complex labours as mothers tend to be older and overweight. Midwife numbers are rising but have not kept pace with demand and many women complain they are left alone and frightened during labour.
Margaret Hodge, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said the shortage of 2,300 midwives was a ‘truly worrying figure’.
She added: ‘ The vast majority of women who use NHS services to have their babies have good experiences, but outcomes and performance could still be much better.
‘The rate of babies who are stillborn or who die within seven days of birth compares poorly with the other UK nations and some European countries – and this is just not good enough.
‘As things stand there is evidence that many maternity services are running at a loss, or at best breaking even, and that the available funding may be insufficient for trusts to employ enough midwives and consultants to provide high quality, safe care.
‘Pressure on staff leads to low morale, and nearly one-third of midwives with less than ten years’ work experience are intending to leave the profession within a year, an appalling waste of talent.’
Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said: ‘Many maternity units often close their doors because they simply do not have enough staff to deliver safe care.’
Health minister Dr Dan Poulter said: ‘This report rightly finds that the vast majority of women have positive experiences of NHS maternity care. The NHS remains one of the safest places in the world to give birth and results out yesterday found that most women would recommend their maternity care to their friends and family.
‘We have reversed the historic decline in midwife numbers. There are now 1,500 more working in our NHS and we have a record 5,000 in training. The number of consultants working on maternity wards has gone up too.’