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UK Wedding News

12/12/2013

Women Left Alone During Labour - Survey

A quarter of women in England are left on their own during labour and birth at a time that worries them, a new official survey has claimed.

The poll - of more than 23,000 women - was commissioned by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and found that 39% of mothers ended up raising concerns about their care.

Of those that complained, a fifth said their concerns had not been taken seriously enough.

While improvements were found to be carried out across a variety of areas of ante-natal and post-natal care, the regulator said the results were "not good enough".

Particular concerns were raised, however, during the times of labour and birth.

The poll, which is carried out every three years, found:

  • 25% of women were left alone during labour or birth (an increase from 22% in 2010)


  • 39% raised concerns over their care (19% said their complaints were not taken seriously enough)


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  • 78% had confidence in the midwives caring for them (an increase from 73% in 2010)


  • Three-quarters of women were always involved in a decision about their care


  • Almost nine in 10 said they were spoken to in a way they could understand during their antenatal and labour/birth periods.


In addition to filling out the survey, around 10,000 women provided comments on the care they had received, and the report found a number of trends. From the comments, some of the recurring themes included poor pain management, cleanliness and a sense of bullying over breastfeeding.

Commenting on the findings, the CQC's Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Sir Mike Richards, described the improvements as encouraging, but added: "In too many cases the quality of care delivered is just not good enough.

"Women and their partners are being left alone when it worries them, toilets and wards are described as unclean and some women are not given the pain relief they had expected or planned to use in their birth plan.

"Further findings of note include those about continuity of care, these suggest to me that women do not mind seeing different midwives if the information and messages they receive is consistent."

He added: "Feedback in the comments given to us show at times, a truly shocking picture of experiences that should be the most joyous time in a woman's life, not the most frightening."

For future inspections, one of the key issues said to be investigated, will be staffing levels within the trusts that deliver maternity care in England.

Cathy Warwick, of the Royal College of Midwives, added: "The survey shows that the NHS continues to fail too many women.

"It sets out yet more evidence of the real-life and disheartening effects on women of the shortage of midwives."

(JP/MH)

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"A quarter of women in England are left on their own during labour and birth at a time that worries them, a new official survey has claimed."