Sigh: The NHS continues to collapse and I continue to report—but even I don’t post all the stories, striving as I do to keep SHS varied and interesting. But this can’t be overlooked: The NHS has been accused of “conveyor belt” childbirths. From the story:
Women are giving birth on a virtual conveyor belt because maternity wards are so overcrowded and understaffed, a damning report has revealed. The Healthcare Commission report—the most detailed ever undertaken—has exposed a grim picture of women giving birth in units where there are not enough toilets or showers and women are rushed through so fast that more than one mother gives birth in each bed every day.Good grief.
Consultants are not present on the wards enough of the time, midwives and doctors do not get on with each other and severe staff shortages mean women are left alone during the birth, the report found. The investigation into every aspect of antenatal, labour, birth and postnatal care, was prompted after high death rates among new mothers were found in successive hospitals.
