19.11.10
Wide variation in maternity care experience, according to figures
Figures from the NHS Information Centre have shown that is inconstancy in terms of how well woman rate maternity services across Britain..
The chief executive of the NHS Information Centre, Tim Straughan, said that the figures indicated that women’s experiences of NHS maternity care varies ‘markedly across the country and even within regions’.
He said: “Rates of caesareans and spontaneous deliveries with an episiotomy as well as access to ante-natal assessment in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy vary according to which hospital they use.
“In some trusts, there may be specific demographic or clinical reasons that explain why they carry out, for example, more caesareans. But others will need to examine closely the full range of reasons why their rate is different from the national average of about one caesarean delivery for every four deliveries.”
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