Maternity Care “could be safer” in UK
By Danell Swim
February 29, 2008
Mothers and babies in England could be facing unnecessary risks in some maternity wards, a report claims. The King’s Fund health think-tank said that most births are safe, but improvements were still needed.
The report says that some staff are overworked, need more training, or could be better supported by managers.
It comes after criticisms from the Healthcare Commission last month. Ministers said they were committed to providing the best possible services.
Professor Onora O’Neill, who led the inquiry, said that death rates had stayed low despite a rising birth rate and a rise in more complex deliveries, for example those involving IVF twins or older mothers.
She said: “This is something to build on, so that all births are as safe as possible.”
However, the inquiry, after visiting maternity units and hearing from women with experience of childbirth, claimed to have found lingering problems which could, if left unchecked, affect safety.
After some recent press regarding complications in the UK maternity services, I can understand their concern. There have recently been several well publicized “accidents” involving human error. Some have resulted in maternal death.
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