The Liberal Democrats have today set out the Party's £600 million
rescue plan to end the maternity care scandal and make Britain
the safest place in the world to have a baby, which follows
sustained campaigning by the Party across the country to improve
standards of care.
This comes as maternal deaths in the UK reach their highest level
in a decade, with a staggering 65% of maternity units rated as
not safe to give birth in. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has
also issued stark warnings over the "normalising of serious harm
in maternity care.
Proposals put forward by Liberal Democrats include one-to-one
midwifery for every woman in labour backed by the presence of a
senior consultant 24/7, protected year-round training for all
maternity staff, NHS mental health support to be offered after
every miscarriage, a cross-government strategy and mandatory
training to eliminate racial disparities in maternal care. These
measures would be self-funded through the savings to the £1.3
billion the NHS is forced to spend on compensating for maternity
negligence claims each year.
The Party argues that instead of investing in failing units and
improved care, the Government is ignoring the realities of the
crisis, demonstrated by its decision to vote down Liberal
Democrat amendments to the Health Bill that would have bolstered
maternity safety, and cuts to vital maternity Service Development
Funding.
Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson MP said:
The national scandal in maternity care is shameful. Injuries and
deaths are rising, and more than six in ten maternity units are
now unsafe - we can no longer accept the unacceptable.
The Conservatives pushed maternity care to the sidelines,
allowing for a dangerous decline. The Labour Government is
continuing to ignore the issue and has slashed dedicated funding.
Women and their families are feeling the devastating real-world
effects of this crisis, and we have a duty to fight their corner.
The Liberal Democrats will not rest until Britain is the safest
country in the world to have a baby. Our conference has backed
our new campaign to make every single unit safe, to ensure every
woman has gold standard care, and restore faith that our NHS is
there for families when they need it most.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
Across the country, Liberal Democrat MPs are campaigning to
improve maternity care for their constituents. See here.
Following a debate on Tackling the Maternity Crisis at Autumn
Conference, Health spokesperson MP will today meet parents
and babies to discuss maternity care. Please message for further
details/ to attend.
