ONE in four women has been left alone during labour or shortly after birth despite being worried, says a report today.
At some NHS trusts medical staff leave up to half of women during labour and/or after the birth.
First-time mothers are more likely to be left.
In hospitals run by the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust the figure for women left alone is 30%.
The report, from the Healthcare Commission, warns that midwives may be failing to adequately reassure women when they leave the room.
Official guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) state that a woman in labour “should not be left on her own except for short periods or at the woman’s request”.
The report says that fewer than half the women giving birth in Huddersfield rated the service as excellent. The figure of 47% was listed in the survey.
But 74% of mums said they were treated with kindness and understanding during birth.
Only a tiny number said they were not given the pain relief they wanted during labour.
The report found widespread variation between NHS trusts.
