Lonely labour for mothers

Thousands of women are left alone during labour or shortly after giving birth in West Midlands hospitals, a report today reveals.

One of the worst performing trusts in the country is Mid Staffordshire General Hospital.

There, 39 per cent of women felt worried when left alone. It is followed by Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust (37 per cent), The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust (26 per cent), Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust (23 per cent) and Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust (20 per cent).

About 25 per cent of mothers raised the same concern under the care of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and 23 per cent at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust.

Some 26,000 women took part in a survey by the Healthcare Commission of 148 NHS trusts in England.

The findings revealed hospitals' failings over cleanliness and hygiene in maternity wards, postnatal care, food and communication – due to a desperate shortage of midwives.

The worst-performing was Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust where 49 per cent of women were left alone during labour and/or after the birth at a time that worried them. The best-performing trust was East Cheshire NHS Trust.

Official guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) state that a woman in labour "should not be left on her own except for short periods or at the woman's request".

The Government has pledged that all women should be supported by a named midwife throughout their pregnancy.

Louise Silverton, deputy general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said at least 5,000 more whole-time equivalent midwifery posts were needed to fulfil the Government's pledges.

Dr Gwyneth Lewis, national clinical lead for maternal health and maternity services at the Department of Health, said most women found their quality of care during labour and birth "excellent", "very good" or "good".