£700 'to insure each NHS birth'
The NHS spends a fifth of its maternity services funding on insurance against malpractice, according to a report by the National Audit Office. The £482m figure equates to £700 for each natural birth.
Maternity report: 'Wide variation' in complications
There is a "wide unexplained variation" in complications with new mothers and their babies, according to a wide ranging investigation by MPs into NHS maternity units.
The Public Accounts Committee found:
- In some hospitals up to 1.6% of women were readmitted as an emergency.
- However, this figure was as low as 0.5% in others.
- Infections rates in newborns also varied - some hospitals recorded 0.6% of babies suffered an infection, while it was as high as 4.2% in others.
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