Mothers on low incomes receiving poor maternity care

Maternity services need improvement, especially for people on low incomes, according to a new survey of 1,391 mothers conducted by Netmums and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). The results showed that three-quarters of poor pregnant...<<Read More>>

New guidance for multiple births provided by NICE

More scans and closer monitoring for mothers expecting twins or triplets have been recommended by the healthcare watchdog NICE. Suggested guidelines include a minimum of six scans, and referral to a specialist team to provide mothers with more reassurance...<<Read More>>

Goals to improve women and children’s healthcare reviewed

Progress on global goals for better healthcare for women and children is being discussed, following the release of an analysis published in the Lancet as well as research from the WHO. The analysis suggests that the Millennium Development Goals will not be met by most developing...<<Read More>>

More midwifes needed

More midwifes are needed throughout England, says the Royal College of Midwives. They are calling for the Government to recruit 4,700 more to manage the demand. The shortages include 91 in the North East, 1,015 in the South East, London needing 862 more...<<Read More>>

Caesareans on demand?

The NHS may give women the automatic right to caesarean, if new draft guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) are approved. The current rate for the procedure is 25%, which has doubled over the last 30 years and is higher than the 15% recommended...<<Read More>>

Cuts to midwives’ jobs and hours criticised

Planned cuts to community midwives’ hours in Plymouth are being challenged by the Royal College of Midwives union (RCM). The proposals would mean that 63 midwives’ hours are reduced by four hours per week, alongside some job cuts, and a reduction from six to...
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Report critical of UK’s high stillborn rate

New statistics published today demonstrate the high stillbirth rates in the UK, placing them 33rd out of a list of 193 countries. The only comparably wealthy nations below the UK on the list are France and Austria. RCM... <<Read More>>

Health unions welcome Committee’s proposals

The Royal College of Midwives has welcomed a Health Select Committee report urging changes to the NHS reforms. Commenting on yesterday’s report, Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said... <<Read More>>

Hospital services merge proposal recommended for approval

Plans to centralise children’s and maternity services in Shropshire are being recommended for approval by the chief executives of the two hospital trusts involved. Services would move from the Royal Shrewsbury Hosp... <<Read More>>

Doctors and midwives reject pension proposals

Health unions have rejected the main findings of Lord Hutton’s review of public sector pensions. The report recommends moving from final-salary to average-earnings based schemes, a rise in the normal pensionable age... <<Read More>>

More pregnant women dying of infection – but overall decline in deaths

Figures showing a decline in maternal deaths have been welcomed by the Royal College of Midwives, despite a “shocking” rise in deaths from common infections. The Centre for... <<Read More>>

Folic acid research questioned

Public health campaigners have disputed research that questions the benefits of pregnant women taking folic acid. The analysis of 955 premature births and 18,075 controls in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study found ‘no significant association’ with... <<Read More>>

Midwife training places fall despite pre-election pledge

The fall in the number of training places for midwives is “extremely worrying”, according to midwifery’s Royal College.The figures published today are “yet another blow for maternity services”, according to Cathy Warwick... <<Read More>>

Midwife-led units are ‘dangerous’ say parents of brain-damaged boy

The parents of a brain-damaged boy who won £6.4m from the NHS after being oxygen-starved during birth have warned of the dangers of midwife-led units. Earnie and Janet Kramer told mothers-to-be to choose hospital maternity wards... <<Read more>>

‘Health service short of 4,500 midwives’ - NHS chief exec

NHS chief executive David Nicholson has said there are 4,500 too few midwives in the health service. He spoke out while giving evidence to the Commons Public Accounts Committee yesterday, during which he also spoke of the dangers... <<Read more>>

Wide variations in maternity care

Women’s experience of maternity care varies widely according to which hospital they use, according to a report from The NHS Information Centre. In some cases, women being treated in hospitals just a few miles apart experienced markedly different approaches to... <<Read more>>

Home Births In UK Safe Say Midwives

Commenting on the research on ‘maternal and newborn outcomes in planned home birth versus planned hospital births’ in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Mervi Jokinen, Practice and Standards Development Advisor at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “It is certainly a study that will generate discussion around home births, and is important in adding to the body of evidence around this...