I must say I am flabbergasted. Patricia Hewitt is promising that women can have a choice of where to give birth!
All very well, but what with local maternity services under threat, under funding for health in the South East and mothers in labour having to hunt around for a unit that can take them fixing the current fiasco would be a favourite first!
Mind you it looks like the plans may be dead in the water as there appears not to be enough midwives.
The BBC has this here.
For more on the NHS see here. To support our local hospital the Princess Royal, see here.
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7 comments:
less chance of getting MRSA...????
Anonymous, I always like someone who looks on the bright side of life, but I fear you take it too far ;)
Benedict, I would be terrified of going into hospital, the last time I went into one to visit my mother in law(bad enough I know), The windows were filthy, there was dust everywhere, but the floors were clean.
It is typical incidentally of NEW Lab offering something that isn't remotely attainable in the near future. It's purely an aspiration spun as policy, like everything else that is New Lab.
Maggie Thatcher Fan, Which hospital was that? (you can email me if you like.)
Benedict NHS blog has a good article on this and he seems to agree with my view of why home births are now being pushed.
"Hewitt is pushing women towards home-deliveries. She marches under the banner of "choice" but the real agenda is cost-cutting."
http://nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/
Sadly I think that she is being helped by the amount of women who now have a poor experience in hospital because we don't seem to have enough midwives, never mind available for home births.
Also will Hewitt be providing a fast response team from the local maternity hospital in case of emergencies?
Having a hospital/home birth according to the neatly laid out birthing plan of the mother is great, but not having the appropriate medical staff and equipment nearby when things go wrong is dangerous.
PS, I forgot to mention that there also seems to be a problem with many women particularly first time mums being "encouraged" to leave hospital early. They complain of not enough support at home because of a lack of district midwives.
ChrisD, many thanks. Yes there are large problems created by silly medling.
I will have a look at that article as well.
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