According to a new report released by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, women receive different maternity care depending on where they live in England.
Having reviewed more than 550,000 births, experts in the field concluded that there exists a “substantial variation” in practice between numerous NHS maternity units across the country.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, who conducted the review alongside the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, established that maternity units had, between 2013 and 2014, recorded considerably different rates with regards emergency caesarean sections, instrumental deliveries and episiotomy.
For example, in some maternity units the number of women who gave birth naturally stood at one in five while others stood at three in ten. Further to this, the review established that in some maternity units 8% of mothers required emergency caesarean sections while other units reported 15%.
Commenting on the disparity which exists between units, RCOG president Dr David Richmond said: "We are concerned about the amount of variation identified in this report."
"Although the exact causes are difficult to establish, it is paramount that maternity units have information about their services, as well as the ability to compare themselves to the national average and to their peers," he continued.
Explaining the significance of the report's findings, he asserted: "With this information, maternity services, alongside commissioners, will be able to move towards identifying priority areas for reducing variation and further improving the safety and quality of care provided to women and their babies."
Echoing the sentiments of Dr. Richmond, Louise Silverton, director for midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives,confirmed that while some variations in practice were standard, women should be made aware of this.
"While it is normal to see some variation in clinical practice, it must be remembered that it is women and babies who experience these variations in practice and there needs to be more information provided for women to enable them to choose where they want to have their care," she concluded.
What are your thoughts on the report's findings?
