Charity warns babies are dying due to NHS bankruptcy, poverty and inequality | Birth

Hundreds of babies die needlessly as overextended maternity services provide substandard care and struggle to overcome deep-seated poverty and racial inequality, reports warned the book.

The government’s target to halve the number of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in England by 2025 has stalled, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are on target, according to a report released Monday by the baby loss charities Sons and Tommy’s. is not listed.

Stillbirths in the UK are slowly rising after declining over the past decade. Infants who die before and during childbirth will rise to just over 4 per 1,000 live births in 2021. Likewise, the long-declining neonatal mortality rate (the death of a newborn within the first four weeks of life) is also rising. There were 1.4 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021, compared with 1.3 in 2020.

Progress has also slowed in Scotland, and the decline has reversed in Wales, where stillbirth rates are at their highest since 2010.

Robert Wilson, the charity’s co-policy director, said the government and NHS We need to make a fundamental change. “The UK has not made sufficient progress in reducing miscarriage and infant mortality rates, and there are worrying signs that these rates are currently heading in the wrong direction,” he said.

He called on the government to take steps to address severe inequalities and staff numbers. “Losing a baby during pregnancy or shortly after birth is not just ‘one of those things. Too often losses are caused by care that does not follow nationally agreed standards. There is also significant pressure on the workforce, impacting their ability to provide safe care. ”

Staff are increasingly under-resourced and overworked, the report said. Some 40% of UK maternity services are classified as inadequate or in need of improvement, while staff surveys show that 84% of midwives need a higher level of staffing to do their job safely. I think it is necessary. Patients also reported worsening experiences with obstetric services after 2019.

Charities warn that too often national standards of care are not being followed. NHS statistics show that 40% of pregnant women have not had their first prenatal checkup within the last 10 weeks. This diagnosis provides advice on folic acid supplements and smoking cessation to enhance the health of mother and baby.

The charity claims that lessons were not learned because the report was the result of a series of hateful maternity service inquiries. east kent and shrewsbury and telford.

Inequality has remained largely unchanged, and the gap in stillbirth rates between those living in the least and least advantaged areas has widened since 2010, according to the report. In 2020, there were 4.3 stillbirths per 1,000 live births in the UK’s most disadvantaged areas, compared to 2.6 in the least advantaged areas. About 500 babies would survive if the stillbirth rate in poorer areas fell to the same level as in wealthier areas, the report said.Black babies are still more than that Double the chance of stillbirth like a white baby

Department of health A spokeswoman said the company is fully committed to meeting its 2025 target. “We are investing £165m each year in training and supporting NHS obstetrics staff, improving neonatal care, and developing a new core curriculum for professionals working in obstetrics and neonatal services, which will take place next year 3 We have introduced 33 maternal mental health services across England by March 2019. “We have also established a maternal and child inequality commission to address the gap between mothers and infants while reducing maternal and newborn mortality. established.”