UK: More than four in ten maternity units turn away women in labour

This is what's in store for us under a national healthcare law. Politicians
deciding where and how we will receive our care. Not patients and health
care professionals, politicians. This is precisely how it occurs in the UK
and in the article below the true cost, anxiety, fear and safety, are being
paid by pregnant women.

More
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id
=540248&in_page_id=1770> than four in ten maternity units turn away women
in labour

By CAROLINE GRANT - More
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/dmsearch/overture.html?in_page_id=711&in_o
verture_ua=cat&in_start_number=0&in_restriction=byline&in_query=caroline%20g
rant&in_name=on&in_order_by=relevance+date> by this author > Last updated
at 11:16am on 20th March 2008

Traumatic: Pregnant women are being turned away from one in four NHS
hospitals and forced to give birth miles away

More than four in ten maternity units in NHS hospitals have turned away
women in labour and forced them to travel miles to give birth, according to
new figures.

The statistics show the true scale of the crisis facing maternity units
across the country, which could be putting the lives of mothers and babies
at risk.

Many mothers-to-be have been forced to travel miles away from home after the
doors were closed at their local NHS hospital.

The figures, from 103 of the 147 NHS trusts with maternity services, were
obtained by the Conservatives under the Freedom of Information Act.

They revealed that 42 per cent have admitted to turning away women in labour
on at least one occasion last year.

The figures show that nine per cent of the hospitals have turned women away
on more than 10 occasions - the worst unit shut their doors 39 times.

The Conservatives blamed this on the Government's closure of maternity
units, which still continues. Ministers are closing smaller units and
centralising services in larger hospitals.

There has already been an 18 per cent reduction in the number of beds in
maternity wards across England since Labour came to power in 1997.

Overall, the number of maternity beds per 100,000 people across the country
has dropped from 22 in 1997 to 18 in 2007.

Speaking last night, shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley, said: "Labour
is fixated with cutting smaller, local maternity services and concentrating
them on big units.

"But women don't want to have to travel miles to give birth. And they
certainly don't want to have to travel even further because they're turned
away by the hospital of the their choice."

Katherine Murphy of the Patients Association said: "It is disturbing to see
that so many healthcare trusts can turn away mothers at this crucial time.

"The greater the distance to travel, the greater the risk to mother and
baby. Being treated near to home is safer."

Mary Newburn, of the National Childbirth Trust, added: "These figures are
shocking. The unscheduled closure of maternity units has a major impact on
women and their partners.

"Parents lose all sense of control when the unit at which they have planned
to give birth has been closed. It's a major cause of anxiety."

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "It is difficult to precisely
predict when a mother will go into labour and sometimes, at times of peak
demand, maternity units do temporarily divert women to nearby facilities.
"It is often only for a few hours and to ensure mother and baby can receive
the best care possible."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: "It is difficult to
precisely predict when a mother will go into labour and sometimes, at times
of peak demand, maternity units do temporarily divert women to nearby
facilities.

"When this does happen it is often only for a few hours and to ensure mother
and baby can receive the best care possible."

Louise Silverton, deputy general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives,
said: "Size is not everything in maternity care, big does not mean better,
and we would question whether bigger maternity units means better care for
women and their babies.

"The key issue here is what the women want. Women want to know and develop a
relationship with their midwife and not feel as if they are on a production
line.

"Midwives want to be able to deliver the best possible individualised care
and not feel like they are working in a baby factory."