Nine out of 10 new mothers in London breastfeed and they also smoke far less during pregnancy than women in other parts of Britain, figures reveal today.
The proportion of women who breastfeed has risen from 66 per cent in 2005/06 to 74 per cent in 2012/13. London had the highest rate of new mothers starting breastfeeding; 87 per cent last year, compared with 59 per cent in the North East.
Six per cent of women in the capital were smoking at the time they gave birth, less than a third of the 20 per cent for the North-East, and below the national average of 13 per cent. The figures are in a report on maternity services by the National Audit Office. It also showed that pregnant women in London were less likely to get an antenatal appointment within 12 weeks of conception than in other parts of the country, 80 per cent compared with 90 per cent in the East Midlands and 87 per cent nationwide. Shadow health minister Jamie Reed said it was “concerning” that mothers-to-be were struggling for appointments. The NAO report suggested that a fifth of maternity services funding is spent on insurance against malpractice.
A total of £482 million was spent on clinical negligence cover last year.
The most common reasons for maternity claims are mistakes in the management of labour or Caesarean sections and errors resulting in cerebral palsy.
The report also highlights a “wide unexplained variation” in complication rates. In some hospitals up to 1.6 per cent of women are readmitted as an emergency after having a baby compared to 0.5 per cent in others. Last year there was a shortfall of around 2,300 midwives, the report says.
Health minister Dr Dan Poulter said: “The number of midwives working in our NHS is increasing twice as quickly as the birthrate, and the presence of consultant doctors on maternity wards has increased significantly too.”
