There has been a shocking increase in women dying during or shortly after pregnancy and babies dying within 28 days of being born following a string of NHS maternity scandals
Mums and babies dying during childbirth has increased for the first time in a decade, a shock report shows.
Lord Darzi, who recently completed a landmark review of the NHS as a whole, looked at rates of women dying during or shortly after pregnancy, and babies dying within 28 days of being born. His latest report found rates of neonatal deaths – babies born at 20 weeks or after, but who die before they are 28-days-old – and maternal deaths – women who die while pregnant or up to six weeks after due to issues linked to pregnancy – increased for the first time in 10 years and are continuing to rise.
It comes after a string of major maternity scandals at struggling NHS trusts at which poor care was linked to hundreds of baby deaths and many more being left brain damaged.
Lord Darzi is co-director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London which conducted the review. He said: “Our latest report on patient safety in England reveals alarming declines. The deterioration in maternity care, in particular, requires immediate action. Our analysis highlights a troubling increase in neonatal and maternal deaths, with black women disproportionately affected.”
Between 2013 and 2020, the neonatal death rate fell by 17%, from 1.7 to 1.3 per 1,000 live births. But it rose to 1.5 per 1,000 live births in 2022, an increase of 15.4%. Maternal deaths were described as “steady” between 2011 and 2013 and 2017 and 2019, although between 2017 and 2019 and 2020 to 2022, the rate increased from 8.8 to 13.4 deaths per 100,000.
The report described the figure as “a statistically significant increase of 52.3%”. It also pointed to an uneven spread of the impacts of unsafe care, which are “greater in the North than the South”.
Lord Darzi added: “The NHS is now falling behind leading nations in patient safety. We urgently need to address these issues to repair the health service, and provide high-quality care for all patients and their families.”
James Titcombe, chief executive of the charity Patient Safety Watch, said: “These findings and recommendations must contribute to urgent and meaningful discussion about the changes needed, so that when we revisit the data in two years, we see these troubling trends reversed and tangible progress in reducing the devastating impact of healthcare harm on patients, families, and healthcare professionals.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Patient safety is paramount, and all women and their babies deserve safe, high-quality care. We are working to introduce a culture of transparency in our health service and will never turn a blind eye to failure. We are committed to driving up standards in healthcare through our Plan for Change, and we will tackle the shocking inequalities that exist across the country. We will also work closely with NHS England to train thousands more midwives to better support women throughout their pregnancy and beyond.”
