Call for maternity care improvement
English maternity care lacks a “systematic approach to safety”, a King’s Fund inquiry has found.
The independent charity’s investigation into maternity units across the country found administrative overload, poor team-working and low prioritisation were undermining the safety of maternity services.
It says the majority of births in England are safe but calls for practical improvements like more on-the-job training to build on existing strong safety levels.
“Maternity services are fortunate to have a dedicated workforce, but I believe they could work in ways that are less burdensome for them and would, on balance, be safer for mothers and babies,” inquiry chair Professor Onora O’Neill said.
“All maternity units need to have a reliable safety culture in place.”
Last month the Healthcare Commission found significant variations in maternity care across the country, although the King’s Fund noted this had not translated into a rise in maternal deaths or infant mortality.
Employers’ group NHS Confederation said the government needed to rectify a shortage of midwives and end strained finances for maternity services.
“Although the UK is a safe place to give birth, more needs to be done to ensure that services are better able to meet the needs of mothers,” policy director Nigel Edwards acknowledged.
Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Norman Lamb said midwives were being “pulled in a multitude of different directions” by the government’s competing commitments.
“Midwives need to be focused on caring for expectant mothers, rather than being distracted by ever more red tape and undertaking general tasks unrelated to looking after pregnant women,” he said.
Health minister Ann Keen pointed to recent government announcements to demonstrate its commitment to continuing to improve maternity safety in England.
The next three years will see 4,000 more midwives operating and £330 million for trusts to invest in maternity services, she said.
