Inquiry finds lack of systematic approach to safety creates risk during births

doi:10.1136/bmj.39503.692847.DB

BMJ 2008;336:469 (1 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.39503.692847.DB

News

Inquiry finds lack of systematic approach to safety creates risk during births

Susan Mayor

¹ London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Most births in England are safe despite growing pressures onmaternity services, says an independent inquiry published thisweek. But it warns that the lack of a systematic approach toensuring safety creates unnecessary risks.

The inquiry focused on the safety of mothers and babies duringbirth rather than the quality or efficiency of maternity services.It found that stillbirths, infant mortality rates, and maternaldeaths related to pregnancy or birth have decreased or remainedstable in the past 10 years even though birth rates and thecomplexity of pregnancies have increased.

However, it also found several problems that it considered undermineda systematic approach to safety. These included insufficientfocus on maternity services and safety by some NHS trust boards;staff overburdened by too many separate sets of guidelines andby guidelines that are too complex; tension between obstetriciansand midwives, leading to problems with team working and communication;. . . [Full text of this article]

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