Anyone have Patricia Hewitt's email so can ask her how the hell she thinks all women will be delivered by a known midwife by 2009

[jdd0709]

Dame Karlene Davis, General Secretary of The Royal College of Midwives, said: "If a plan for more midwives is not put in place there is little hope of the Government achieving its unambiguous manifesto commitment that by 2009 all women will have choice over where and how they give birth, and that every woman will be supported by the same midwife throughout her pregnancy."

I have just been for my 20 week appointment with community midwife at GP to have it confirmed that I will actually be delivered by "one of the hospital midwives" that I have absolutely no way of having even met beforehand. This will be in September 2007. What is going to change in 2008 when the predicted crisis in midwife levels hits due to retirement of many of the existing ones and not recruitment to makeup the shortfall.

It's disgusting that I am expected to have a complete stranger with their hands up my nether regions during one of the most important events of anyone's life, that I have no way of assesing how competent or not they are beforehand and no way of knowing whether they will annoy the hell out of me or not.

This really annoys me, particularly since even the option of paying for an independent midwife is shortly to be removed due to the insurance issue. Is paying £10000+ in a private hospital really the only option for women in this country that want a civilised, controlled birth.

Can we get Patricia Hewitt (minister for Health who announce the ridiculous 2009 target) on here to expalin herself?

I second your feelings on this. Totally outrageous... The state of NHS antenatal care is really shocking. Unfortunately, like you said, the only solution I've found is shelling out a small fortune to a private hospital to achieve a civilised, controlled birth. I'm going to use my "psychic powers" to say that 2009 will not bring any such miraculous changes to NHS antenatal care. If you get hold of Patricia Hewitt's contact details let me know so I can send her the hospital bill...

I believe her email is [email protected] but don't tell her I gave it to you

You should be able to find out Patricia Hewitt's email address from the HoP website. Don't expect an answer though - when I emailed one Tony Blair once to complain about crime in the community, I got a standard 'thanks but no thanks' response.

It might have more effect if you lobby your local MP and get them to raise this issue with the Health minister.

I forget exactly what she said, but I saw it on TV, and noted that she did not promise this at all.
As I recall it went along the lines of "normally a woman can expect..."

IE except if they don't.
Also there were weasel words about what counted as "known", and to my ears as a mere spectator in childbirth sounded like "odds are you'll have met her before".

It is of course impossible to guarantee this 100%. A given MW is only at work a certain % of the time, has holidays etc, and of course occasionally there will be rushes and emergencies.

So what is an acceptable level ?
99% , 95% ? 50% ?
I think we all know the figure set will be the one they think can be achieved, rather than the best one.
It's a dumb promise,

Also, on the subject of private hospitals, it is the case the female doctors choose to have NHS births, regardless of their finances.

The statistics of deaths during private deliveries are quite chilling.

Almost no mothers ever die in private hospitals, it's massively lower than the NHS.

That sounds good doesn't it ?
Are they really 20 times better ?

No.
The mothers die in NHS hospitals, that's not the same as starting in a private one.
If things go seriously pear shaped, prepare to be bunged in an ambulance and rocketed to the nearest NHS hospital.
I'm not a doctor, but I think we can all accept that thus does not improve survival chances one little bit.

it's an unrealistic pledge by the labour party, imo, because the way that midwives has changed so much over the years.

there's a skills shortage - breech deliveries are right at the edge of a "normal" midwife's practice, so few have experience of non-hospital deliveries it's difficult to become confident in their own abilities - and many of them can't give the degree of flexibility that delivering in the community demands (ie not going home at the end of the shift - but staying until the baby is safely here).

many also have the different skills needed for hospital (sometimes more complex - eg mothers with pre-existing medical problems) and prefer to use those.

tbh I didn't mind that some of the people in the medical teams who helped deliver my 2 daughters were "strangers" (though some of them were not) - as I had confidence in them as professionals and they treated me with respect and courtesy.

I moved a month before my dd was born so I didn't know any of the midwives who could have delivered my dd - granted that was my choice. Even so, had I remained with my old health trust, there was no saying that the mw who did my antenatal care would have been in the delivery room anyway.

As a lot of people on here have said previously, it doesn't matter who delivers your baby as long as they have the requisite knowledge to do so safely or know when to ask for help. Unfortunately you won't know if that will until you are in that situation! I don't really see why a mw should be expected to remain on duty to deliver a baby when labours can often take longer than a shift pattern would be. One of my mw's went off to have her lunch just before my dd was born - since she'd been in the room supporting me since 10.30am, I could hardly begrudge her a cheese sandwich at 1pm!! Mw's are only human after all.

I've got no problem with having someone I don't know if I have confidence that in all likelyhood she (or he) would be professional and competent. From my first experience of giving birth in an NHS hospital that is not the case and it is luck of the draw - you may get someone very good or, at worst, someone dangerous. Lack of training, funding, excessive workloads and poor pay are all contributing factors I am sure. At lease if you had met the people in the team you could have a bit more confidence or make an informed choice to go elsewhere. I have every sympathy for midwives - many of who work in the NHS have told me that they do not have the resources they need to do as good a job as they would like. I am not saying they should stay on duty for hours and hours, but I don't see why you couldn't have 2 or 3 midwives who looked after you in pregnancy and one or two of whom would be at your labour. Clearly the funding, training and recruitment isn't there and isn't going to be anytime soon. This is why the 2009 pledge puzzles and irritates me so much.

2 or 3 midwives, 8 hour shifts each = cover for the 24 hours you could go into labour. those three can't be expected to work 7 days a week. the numbers just don't add up.

some trusts eg in portsmouth now have midwives working 10 hour shifts so you're more likely to get continuity of care.

allright 4 or 5 - it's a question of resourcing. It works in NZ and in the private midwifery sector so why not in the NHS.

allright 4 or 5 - it's a question of resourcing. It works in NZ and in the private midwifery sector so why not in the NHS.

smaller population I think.

Well they should be adopting some sort of strategy rather than empty promises that will never be achieved under the current system. The numbers and population size are irrelevent - it is about funding and resourcing up to the correct level. Noone is saying there won't be the odd woman who doesn't get delivered by a known midwife, people give birth in their cars occasionally!, but it should be the norm rather than the exception as it is now, in my opinion. I would like to see some evidence that this is being addressed. I would rather Patricia Hewitt said nothing rather than annouce an empty promise which is insulting to both midwives and women having babies.

I signed it when you posted it, thanks

Jdd - great thread.... have to say when I wrote to my local mp (not a labour mp) he has been very supportive re the state of antenatal care in our area (sadly he is in opposition).

This is the first time I've needed anything from the nhs as never been ill before - and I cannot tell you how let down I feel that I have been bounced round 2 local hospitals and then ended up in one that has such a terrifying reputation (if you go by mn posts) that it doesn't bear thinking about

The thing that gets me is its bad enough to make weaselly promises that are about as likely to be fulfilled as pigs are to fly. But can't you at least try and do something - eg plug the resourcing gap where there aren't enough midwifes (they appaer to be keen enough to staff the complaints dept of our useless pct) , beds (quite a few areas like mine don't have enough and haven't for years). Its almost more infuriating that they pretend they care/are going to do something than just to ignore the issue.

it should not be the exception that woman expect a decent mw (if not the same one through birth at least you could know who the team are) and birth experience.

..

I think it's even worse than that.
They will try to hit the goals, meaning that any other goal gets subverted to hitting this target. Lots of easy ways to do this.

The easiest is to follow the pattern for maths & science A levels. Redefine what you already have as success by dumbing down.

I believe all nurses get some midwifery training. Give them a day's training, define them as "midwife auxillaries" and you've hit your target.
Of course this "training" has to be funded, one assumes out the midwifery budget, so you get nurses who aren't trained but cuts to pay for them reduce the numbers of midwives.

Having had experience of the cardiothoriac wards too often in the past umpteen years (not for me) I can only concur .

I don't think knowing the midwife who looks after you during labour beforehand makes much difference. What does make a difference is having consistent care throughout the labour and not relying on instruments or inexperienced midwives. If there are enough mw available then it doesn't matter if you don't feel comfortable with your mw for any reason, because you can simply request a different one.

But I agree that Patricia Hewitt is talking out of her fanjo.

i agree the whole 'one woman one midwife' pledge is a joke. i'm 28 weeks pregnant and so far i've seen a different midwife at every antenatal I've had. My job brings me into contact with hewitt occasionally and her junior ministers more regularly. I promise on all your behalfs to challenge her on this next time I get the opportunity!

i dont mind if i see a different mw as long as they are GOOD AT THEIR JOB, what i do mind is inconsistent information that is often the complete opposite to the advice i have been given the previous week ,and an exagerated eyeroll when repeating advice that the drs have given me