One in five new mothers in England seek emergency care after birth

• A new report has revealed that over one in five mothers in England require emergency medical attention within a year of giving birth .
• The Nuffield Trust analysis of 1.6 million deliveries found that Black and young mothers are disproportionately affected.
• Emergency hospital admissions occurred after six per cent of births, with urgent contacts most frequent in the initial days following delivery.
• Common reasons for an A&E attendance included stomach pain, chest pain and vaginal bleeding, with a “notable spike” in contacts five days post- birth .
• The Nuffield Trust deputy director of research and report lead, Sarah Scobie, said: “Policymakers and NHS leaders must get a handle on whether many post-birth emergency care visits could have been avoided with better community care – or indeed with improved preventive care well before birth.”

IN FULL

Warning for NHS as staggering number of new mothers seek emergency medical care