WIREDGOV

The Patients Association is welcoming a recent report that provides a ‘blueprint for safer maternity care’.

The report offers all women the choice to give birth where they want, with the support of the same midwife throughout, and for pregnant women to have a personal maternity care budget that can be spent on the NHS care of their choosing. 

Responding to the ‘Better Births’ NHS England report, Katherine Murphy, Chief Executive of the Patients Association said: 

“We welcome the suggestion of personalised, individualised maternity plans that recognise the needs and wants of mothers. Every pregnancy is unique, so a personal plan will surely be reassuring to any mother. In particular, a personalised system will enable the NHS to provide the correct programme of care when a pregnancy is not going to plan, rather than mothers only being able to access a fixed schedule of standard appointments and scans. Pregnancy is a baby’s first experience of the NHS and it is important that the care results in a good experience for mother and baby.”

Notes to Editors:

• The review was chaired by Julia Cumberlege and was commissioned by NHS England. It is entitled ‘Better Births: Improving outcomes of maternity services in England - A Five Year Forward View for maternity care’.

See: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/national-maternity-review-report.pdf

• The Patients Association is an independent national health and social care charity established over 52 years ago, which has a long history of campaigning to ensure that the voice of patients is heard within the UK Health and Social care system.

• For further information please contact Deborah McDonald, Director of Operations & Marketing, on 020 8423 9111, or email deborah@patients-association.com or call 07779 004898. 

• Visit our website at www.patients-association.org.uk