The research found that last year, at least 747 women were turned away from maternity units because they were full, or because staff could not guarantee a safe delivery. That equates to an average of two a day.

Full article in Mail

It reminds me of how my own second child was born in the bathroom. We had rung an hour before but were told there was no need to come in yet. Later we were told that the hospital's maternity ward had been at the limit of its capacity. I have since suspected that the midwives knew that they should delay admissions as long as possible. In our case, too long.

Our experience chimes with this comment in the article:

Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: 'There is no doubt that some units are operating at or near their capacity much of the time.'

What was that terrific piece of rhetoric that Neil Kinnock once came out with? He warned that if the Tories won an election he was fighting, "Don't be old, don't be poor..." or something of that sort. Well, with the NHS to rely on, "don't be pregnant".

Posted by James Bartholomew • Indexed in NHS

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