Good care for pregnant women “is the exception rather than the rule” as hospitals cover up endemic failings in Britain’s maternity system, a damning report rules.
The country’s first parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma found there was “shockingly poor quality” in maternity services, leading to compassionate care and a system where “unhealthy care is too often tolerated.” deficient as something normal.
The Birth Trauma Inquiry heard “heartbreaking” evidence from more than 1,300 women, including how new mothers had been left on blood-covered sheets for hours and grieved by midwives.
A woman pregnant with twins who went into premature labor at 19 weeks was told by a consultant to “stop stressing” after losing her first baby.
Another, who was dismissed as an “anxious mother,” later lost her baby due to complications she warned about.
The all-party inquiry, led by Conservative MP Theo Clarke and Labor MP Rosie Duffield, will publish its findings on Monday. According to The Times, the report found that “poor care is often tolerated as normal and women are treated as an inconvenience.”
The all-party inquiry, led by Conservative MP Theo Clarke and Labor MP Rosie Duffield, will publish its findings this morning.
According to The Times, the report found that “poor care is often tolerated as normal and women are treated as an inconvenience.”
Among the recommendations included in the report is the creation of a maternity commissioner reporting to the Prime Minister.
Ms Clarke, who prompted the inquiry after revealing in Parliament that she felt she would die after giving birth in 2022, told the Times: “We have listened carefully to mothers and applaud their bravery in coming forward, sometimes with horrific testimonies of how the system failed them and the mental, physical and economic cost of that failure.
“The series of recommendations we are making, especially the appointment of a maternity commissioner, are designed to end the postcode lottery in maternity services.”
The report details how a doctor told a woman who suffered intestinal problems after a traumatic birth and took her hospital to court for negligence after problems during childbirth: “Why don’t I put a butt plug on and get on with my job?” life?”. day’.
Another described how her severe physical symptoms stemming from birth trauma, including fatigue and tremors, were misdiagnosed as psychological, leading her to receive eight sessions of electroconvulsive therapy, which involves sending an electrical current through the brain.
A woman who was pregnant with twins went into premature labor at 19 weeks and lost her first baby.
Ms Clarke, who prompted the inquiry after revealing in Parliament that she felt she would die after giving birth in 2022, told the Times: “We have listened carefully to mothers and applaud their bravery in coming forward, sometimes with horrific testimonies of how the system failed them and the mental, physical and economic cost of that failure.
“One of the consultants told me to stop crying, calm down and try to save the other baby,” she told the report.
Her words were, ‘Anyway, this baby was dead a long time ago, so you should stop worrying about it and let’s try to save the other one,’ she said. The second baby also died.
NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard said the experiences of the more than 1,000 women who testified at the inquiry were “simply not good enough”.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said she was “determined to improve the quality and consistency of care for women during pregnancy, childbirth and the critical months that follow”.
In January, she shared her personal experience in the “darkest corners” of the NHS after giving birth as a patient with type one diabetes.
“I want to reform our NHS and our care system to make it faster, simpler and fairer for all of us and that includes women,” she said.
This follows a litany of maternity failures, including Shrewsbury, Telford and East Kent NHS Trusts, with a record number of services now failing to meet safety standards.
The Healthcare Quality Commission found that around 65 per cent are now rated as “inadequate” or “requires improvement” for safety.