Thousands of new mothers in England readmitted to hospital after birth, figures show | Childbirth

Thousands of new mothers are readmitted to hospital in England every year, figures reveal, raising new concerns about NHS maternity care.

Discharging women prematurely from hospital increases the risk that delivery-related conditions will be missed and can be extremely distressing. If birth-related injuries or other conditions are not treated until the mother is readmitted a few days or weeks later, the chances of a full recovery may also be reduced.

A total of 14,630 new mothers had to be readmitted within 30 days of birth over the past 12 months, which equates to 40 every day. In the most recent quarter for which data is available, April to June 2025, one in 20 new mothers had to be readmitted shortly after being discharged.

The figures, which do not specify why the woman was readmitted, have only been collected in their current form since 2024, making it difficult to compare readmission rates with previous data.

Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman who obtained the NHS figures from the House of Commons library, said the figures were “heartbreaking”.

She also called on Labor to reverse its cuts to National Service Development (SDF) funding for maternity services from £95m in 2024-25 to £2m in 2025-26. The fund was introduced after the Ockenden review of maternity services in Shrewsbury and Telford, aimed at improving the quality of maternity care.

The Guardian reported Friday that pregnant women in England are at increasing risk of suffering a serious injury during childbirth.

The number of mothers suffering a third or fourth degree perineal tear during childbirth increased from 25 in 1,000 in June 2020 to 29 in 1,000 in June this year – an increase of 16%, according to figures also obtained by Morgan.

This means that almost 3% of women who gave birth in England during this period suffered a serious tear. Such injuries damage the woman’s anal sphincter and cause long-term pain, birth trauma and incontinence. They can also have a “life-altering” impact on women’s overall physical and mental health, cause post-traumatic stress disorder and make them fear having another child.

The figures come after major concerns about the poor quality of NHS maternity care prompted Wes Streeting, the health secretary, to launch an inquiry into maternity and newborn care and set up a task force to recommend improvements.

Morgan said: “Behind these numbers are heartbreaking stories of women suffering unimaginable trauma at a time that should be full of joy.

“The Conservatives’ neglect of maternity services was unforgivable, putting mothers and babies at risk, but Labor risks throwing any action on this issue into the long grass… The government’s inquiry cannot be used as a shield against meaningful action now.

“It is unacceptable that, when so many women are dying or injured because of poor maternity care, the government has looted the key fund intended to improve maternity services. Their promises to improve safety will ring hollow until they change course.

“If the Government is serious about ending the disaster unfolding in our maternity wards, it must reverse these cuts immediately, support our hard-working NHS teams and implement all the measures in the Ockenden review without delay.

Medical leaders have called on NHS staff to ensure “thorough checks” are carried out on every new mother before they are sent home.

Professor Asma Khalil, consultant obstetrician and vice-president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said: “Maternal readmissions can occur for a number of reasons, such as postpartum haemorrhage, infection or complications that develop in the days or weeks after birth.

“We are also seeing more complex pregnancies, which can carry a higher risk of complications before and after delivery. Healthcare professionals need to be aware of the factors that can increase a woman’s risk of readmission and take a holistic, person-centered approach to postnatal care, ensuring that thorough checks are carried out before discharge.

“It is essential that maternity services have the right staff, training and facilities to provide safe, personalized and compassionate care to every woman and baby. »

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Giving birth can be an incredible time in a woman’s life, but suffering injuries, including perineal tears, can leave mothers deeply traumatized.

“This government inherited a failing maternity care system, which is why we have launched a rapid national maternity inquiry, established a national task force and are continuing to roll out perinatal pelvic health services to reduce rates of perineal tears.

They said claims of funding cuts in the 2025-26 budget were false. “Overall funding increased by £26 billion, and local NHS systems were given the freedom to spend the funds to best meet the needs of their local community, with the government holding them to account for their ability to deliver better patient outcomes. »