Top rating for maternity services

The Rosie Hospital in Cambridge gives women the best choice of place for birth in the UK, according to a new study.

Government guidelines say three choices should be available: home birth, midwife-led birth centre or obstetric unit in a hospital. A study by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) found three areas in the UK that provide 100 per cent full choice. South Cambridgeshire finished first overall followed by Cambridge in third.

 

 

Caroline Watson, who lives near Bedford, gave birth to her second son, Roland, at the Rosie on Wednesday this week.

 

She said: “I live near to three hospitals but I chose the Rosie because of the services available. I wanted to be where I knew there was going to be specialist support. The staff all go over and above what you might expect – I actually enjoyed giving birth.”

 

Birte Harlev-Lam, Head of Midwifery at the Rosie, said: “The Rosie has grown into a leading maternity hospital that provides a full range of options for women and delivers an excellent standard of care.

 

We’re proud of our ‘best performing’ rating in the most recent review of maternity services by the Healthcare Commission and look forward to expanding the hospital, helping us to continue meeting the needs of a growing local population.”

 

The Rosie delivered more than 5,700 babies in 2008/9, with a home birth rate of 6.4 per cent – approximately three times the national average.

 

In 2007, the government issued a report titled Maternity Matters that outlined a plan to make sure all women had the choice of three options by the end of 2009: giving birth at home with a midwife, at a local midwifery facility, or at a hospital.

 

The NCT commissioned the study, which divided areas of the UK by local authority boundaries, to chart the plan’s progress. To see the full version of the report, visit www.nct.org.uk/choice

 

 

 

 

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