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Fears new mothers are being 'left alone' during labour

The quality of care given to women during pregnancy and birth is "just not good enough" in many cases, the chief inspector of hospitals has said. Although a major survey of new mothers in England revealed an overall improvement in maternity services.

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Midwifery council: 'NHS fails too many women'

The Royal Council of Midwifery said the "NHS continues to fail too many women," who are not able to see the same midwife during and after their pregnancy.

A survey by the health regulator, the CQC, found only 28% of women can rely on the care of the same midwife over the course of their pregnancy.

It is sad to see that in three years the NHS has not improved in terms of women seeing the same midwife during their care, which often means women have to repeat their histories over and over again.

– Cathy Warwick, the Royal College of Midwives’ chief executive

Ms Warwick said this is due to the shortage of qualified midwives.

"The RCM’s latest estimate is that the NHS in England is short of 4,800 midwives, so it is sadly inevitable that women will see many different midwives," she said.

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