[ad_1]
A health minister has apologised after a new report concluded that poor care in maternity services is “frequently tolerated as normal”.
The parliamentary inquiry found there was “shockingly poor quality” in maternity services, which resulted in care that lacked compassion and a system where “poor care is all too frequently tolerated as normal”.
The inquiry – led by Conservative MP Theo Clarke and Labour MP Rosie Duffield – considered evidence given by more than 1,300 women and is calling for a national plan to improve maternity care.
It found that poor quality postnatal care was an “almost-universal theme”.
“Women shared stories of being left in blood-stained sheets, or of ringing the bell for help but no one coming,” the report said.
It has made 12 recommendations, including that the government implement a maternity commissioner who would report directly to the prime minister, in order to work towards a maternity system that is “woman-centred and where poor care is the exception rather than the rule”.
Health minister Maria Caulfield told Sky News maternity services had not been where they should be and apologised to mothers who had been affected.
“I recognise that maternity services have not been where we want them to be, but there is lots of work happening in this space,” Ms Caulfield said.
“This has been a problem for a long time, and it is why maternity is a priority area in the women’s health strategy.”
[ad_2]
