To think this is symptomatic of our cuts culture?

[UCOforAC12]

Kate Brintworth, of the Royal College of Midwives, said that adding the extra scans to midwives’ workload was “at the moment not a realistic option” given staff shortages.

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/ultrasound-scan-could-avoid-4-000-emergency-caesareans-qbxtwt5pm

This is in no way a midwife bashing thread but how are our services so thinly stretched that we don't have the time or resources to do preventive work that could save the lives of babies?

*Pregnant women should be given an extra ultrasound scan to reduce the need for more than 4,000 emergency caesareans a year and save babies’ lives,research suggests.

The test at eight months would assess whether the unborn baby is in a breech presentation, positioned to be delivered feet or buttocks first, which is riskier for mother and child.

The study found that the scan would lower the risk of complications by detecting almost 15,000 cases that would otherwise go undiagnosed. Undetected breech presentations frequently lead to emergency caesarean sections and can, in a small number of cases, result in the death of a baby.*

It's frustrating to think money is being spent on research to understand why the UK has higher infant mortality rates than it should have but there's no money to implement the recommendations.

Surely preventative steps are worth taking?