Buckinghamshire women not seeing midwife soon enough
Figures show 815 women didn't see a midwife in their first ten weeks of pregnancy.
Hundreds of pregnant women in Buckinghamshire are not getting their first appointment with a midwife early enough, figures reveal, potentially missing out on vital support for themselves and their baby.
The Royal College of Midwives says women living in deprived circumstances are particularly missing out on early maternity care, and has urged anyone to contact their local services as soon as they become pregnant to get the help they need.
Public Health England data shows 815 women in Buckinghamshire did not have a midwife appointment within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy in 2018-19, the latest period for which figures are available.
That was 41% of those who had a first appointment during the year – the 13th-highest rate of 19 council areas in the South East.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which issues official guidance on health care, says pregnant women should see a midwife within the first 10 weeks
It is a chance to identify women in need of extra care due to family circumstances and other social factors, or medical history, and allows a midwife to do important tests and spot risks such as smoking.
Women who have their appointment after 20 weeks risk missing checks on their baby that can identify infectious diseases and other conditions, according to PHE.
Bucks Healthcare's pledge
Our health trust's figures submitted to PHE in 2018/19 as part of a health equity audit show that the majority of women started antenatal care timely with 3,781 out of at total 6,174 women (61.2%) booking at a gestational age under 10 weeks and 1690 women (27.4%) at a gestational age between 10-12 weeks.
703 women were considered "late bookers" (11.4%) mothers initiating antenatal care 13 weeks and over.
Heidi Beddall, Head of Midwifery & Gynae Outpatient Lead at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust says:
"It is important for women to be aware of the free maternity services available to them locally through the NHS. At Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust our community midwives support mums-to-be throughout their pregnancies from first contact.
"But we cannot provide these services unless we know you are pregnant and choosing to be cared for by us. So it is crucial to get in touch, either through your GP surgery or via our online maternity registration form on the Trust website, to book your first appointment and plan your ongoing care.
"We strive to provide mums-to-be with the best possible care regardless of when they first come to our maternity service, but it is important that women understand the benefits of accessing maternity services early and throughout their pregnancy."
Across the South East as a whole, 46% of women seeing a midwife did not have their appointment in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy – the second-highest rate of England’s nine regions.
Nationally, 42% missed the 10-week window.
Lia Brigante, an advisor at the Royal College of Midwives, said:
“We urge women to contact their local maternity services or their GP as soon as possible after they find out they are pregnant, so that the midwives can begin to support them with their pregnancy and discuss their care and choices.”
The likelihood of a pregnant woman seeing a midwife within 10 weeks varied widely between areas.
Women in Southampton were the most likely in the South East to miss out with 80% not seen in time, compared to 34% in the Isle of Wight.
Ms Brigante said there could be many reasons why there is wide variation for when women have their first appointment.
She added:
“Deprivation and inequality often contribute to this and some women could be unsure about how to contact their maternity services, for example if they recently came to the UK. For women who don’t have English as their first language, this could also be an issue.
“We are also concerned that some women who may be here as new migrants or asylum seekers are worried that they may be charged for their maternity care.”
She said there was a pressing need to target areas where rates were low to raise awareness among local women about their maternity services.