The NHS have promised to spend £40 million on providing women with the same midwife throughout their pregnancy.
As a result of this pledge, it is anticipated that maternity deaths will be reduced by a massive 50 per cent.
Currently, it isn’t uncommon for a woman to see different midwives throughout her pregnancy, both during the antenatal period, during labour and during the post-natal period. Not only would continuity of care mean that a woman would no longer have to keep repeating her story, it would, in my opinion, lead to better care. This is in respect of the measuring of a woman’s bump, the method of which is said to differ from midwife to midwife.
The government anticipates that over a third of women should benefit from the new plans by March next year, rising to more than half by 2021.
In addition to reducing maternal deaths, this new proposal also aims to reduce our stillbirth and neonatal death rate.
The new funding will be used to reduce the rates of stillbirth, neonatal death, maternal death and brain injury during birth by 20 per cent by the end of 2020/21, and 50 per cent by 2025.
I think that this is a really big step in helping to improve our maternity care. The cost is massive but I hope that the intended benefit in reducing maternal death, stillbirth, neonatal death and brain injury is realised quickly.
For more information please see https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/05/05/expectant-mothers-given-midwife-throughout-pregnancy-40million/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_em
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