26/08/09 - Women being denied labour beds to give birth

New information collected for the first time by the Conservatives reveals the deep problems with maternity services in England. 

Last year, almost 4,000 women in England gave birth in a location other than a designated labour bed in a hospital, up 15 per cent from almost 3,500 in 2007. Hospitals also gave examples of babies being born in midwife offices, lifts, toilets and a caravan.

Some of these births will have been genuine emergencies and unavoidable, but many are because services are overstretched.  We know from previous research that maternity units in England had to shut their doors to women in labour 553 times last year because they were full.  Several hospitals explicitly said in their response that births took place in other locations because there were no labour beds available.  Labour have cut the number of maternity beds by 22 per cent since 1997. 

In South Tees there has been a small increase of 5% with 44 births (outside of planned deliveries at home) happening outside a maternity unit:

Commenting Paul Bristow the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland stated:

 “It is not right that new mothers should be put through the trauma of having to give birth in such inappropriate places.  While some will be unavoidable emergencies, it is extremely distressing for them and their families to be denied a labour bed because their maternity unit is full.

"To be fair South Tees has a respectable record with as only 44 births happening outside a maternity unit in a hospital covering an area of this size is understandable.  I still very much hope that this number can be brought down.

"A Conservative Government would make sure that every woman who wants one gets a single room in hospital so that they can give birth with privacy.  We would also ensure that money follows the patient so that if more women are giving birth then more money is available.”