NHS slammed over baby deaths

The NHS is failing new mothers with one in 100 babies dying either in childbirth or within a week of being born, a new report has warned.

The incoming head of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, has now warned that the lives of babies born to around 600,000 mothers in England and Wales lives are at risk.

Despite the NHS budget rising from just under £35 billion, when Labour came to power in 1997, to over £90 billion currently, there are not enough consultants or midwives in almost 50 per cent of our hospitals, he said.

Prof Arulkumaran said: "The staffing numbers for consultants aren't adequate at 40 to 50 per cent of hospitals in the UK, though I'm sure that will apply to midwives too.

"The risk incidence must be greater at those hospitals. There's a direct connection between staffing levels and the risk for patients.

"We know that the main cause of risk incidence is inadequate personnel."

Meanwhile, doctors and midwives were issued on Wednesday with detailed guidance on care for women in labour - ranging from greeting expectant mothers with a smile and knocking on doors before entering a room, to offering birthing pools as a means of pain relief.

New guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has highlighted the importance of good communication with women in labour and treating them with respect.

The recommendations include advice to greet women in labour with a smile and advice that medical staff should knock before entering a room.

Clinical intervention should not be offered or advised where labour is progressing normally and the woman and baby are well, the guidelines state, and once a woman is in established labour she should receive supportive one-to-one care.

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.