UK Health Radio Medical News Update – On the Hour - New mums leaving hospital too early

UK Health Radio Medical News Update – On the Hour

New mums leaving hospital too early

The BBC have reported that a survey by the Royal College of Midwives suggests that a figure close to half of all women may be being discharged from hospital before they are ready after having a baby.

The report, that is entitled Postnatal Care Planning says the needs of women and babies after birth are not being met.

The report goes on to conclude that more midwives are required to ensure women get the post-natal visits they need, the RCM says. Surveys of both mothers and midwives were used to compile the report.

More than 2,000 midwives, 950 student midwives and 98 maternity support workers were surveyed to find out their views on post-natal care and sixty-five per cent of midwives surveyed said the number of post-natal visits was determined by organisational pressures rather than the needs of the mothers in their care.

This is contrary to official guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the RCM has said.

Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said this had an impact on the care women received.

"The continuing shortage of midwives particularly in post-natal care and the need to ensure cover for women in labour means that organisational needs are preventing midwives giving care based on clinical need and women are not getting the best possible post-natal care. This can have a massive impact on the health and well-being of the mother and her baby after the birth and well into the future." Cathy Warwick said.

Midwives also say that there is often not enough time to give women all the information they would like to give them about their post-natal care. In the survey, only a third of midwives and maternity support workers said they had enough time to talk to women about their post-natal care.

The report also highlights the views of nearly 500 women in the UK who were surveyed via the Netmums website in 2013. Around 40% felt that they had been discharged too quickly, a figure the RCM describes as "a real concern".

Cathy Warwick said: "We are seeing women being discharged earlier without adequate support. This leads to readmissions later on and the corresponding extra cost to the NHS.

"This is a false economy. It is not good for women and babies and it is not good for the NHS."

The report is the fourth in a five-part series from the Royal College of Midwives looking at post-natal care.

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio Medical News Update – On the Hour

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