One in five women in England say their concerns were ignored during childbirth, survey finds | NHS

Nearly one in five women believe their concerns were not taken seriously by healthcare professionals during childbirth, according to “concerning” results from a national survey of maternity experiences.

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) survey of almost 17,000 women who gave birth in England in NHS settings this year found that 15% felt they did not receive relevant advice or support when they contacted a midwife early in their labor, while 18% said their concerns were not taken seriously.

One in ten respondents said they had been left alone during maternity care at a time that worried them, including 7% “during the final stages of labour”.

Valerie Amos, who is overseeing a national survey into maternity care, said women were experiencing “unacceptable” maternity care, including poor communication, a lack of empathy and, in some cases, discrimination against ethnic minority and working-class women.

Clea Harmer, chief executive of baby loss charity Sands, said the report was “alarming and frustrating to read” and flagged the need for urgent action to follow recommendations made to improve maternity care in England.

She said: “What the findings show is that too often pregnant women don’t feel listened to when they have concerns, or don’t see those concerns taken seriously. We know that listening to parents saves lives, so it’s particularly worrying that the CQC has found that these issues show no improvement since last year.”

The survey also revealed that only 57% of those surveyed were ‘always’ able to get help from a member of staff if needed after the birth of their child, while one in ten said they could not access any help at all.

Despite concerns raised by the survey, the results also indicated some improvements in maternity care. Nearly nine in 10 (89%) respondents said they had always been spoken to in a way they could understand, an increase of 1%.

The same proportion of respondents (89%) said they received mental health support during pregnancy, compared to 83% in 2021.

Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said it was “deeply concerning” that almost one in five women felt they had not been taken seriously when raising concerns during labor and birth.

Walton said: “It is positive to see improvements in several areas – with 89% of women saying they were always spoken to in a way they could understand and 81% had enough time to ask questions during antenatal checks. These improvements reflect the dedication of midwives who work hard to provide quality care.”

“These findings highlight the immense pressure midwives are working under due to a chronic workforce shortage. When midwives are overstretched, it becomes more difficult to provide the nurturing care that allows them to truly listen and respond to concerns, particularly when they are often caring for multiple women simultaneously.”

Dr Jyotsna Vohra, director of research, programs and impact at pregnancy charity Tommy’s, said the survey results were “further evidence that families are being let down.”

“Just one day after the publication of Baroness Amos’ first findings [from the National Maternity Investigation]which are deeply concerning, the results of this investigation are further proof that families are being abandoned,” Vohra said.

“Pregnancy should be a time when women and those giving birth feel safe and cared for. These findings clearly show that too many people are not heard and left alone at crucial times.”

Duncan Burton, England’s chief nursing officer, said: “It’s clear that too many women are still not receiving the care they need despite the signs of improvement these results show, and I am determined to ensure that every woman and her family is listened to and receives safe and compassionate care.

“We have established dedicated teams across the country to improve services, and we are introducing daily monitoring of the performance of each maternity service to ensure we can intervene quickly if any problems arise.