Two peer reviewed studies led by University of Manchester researchers across 28 NHS maternity units have revealed that measures introduced by the NHS in 2019 to reduce stillbirth in England has shown that most women have a positive experience antenatal care, birth and labour.
The BMJ Open Quality paper showed 89% of women reported positive antenatal care and 86% had positive labour experiences.
However, the data from online surveys with 1,140 women and 633 healthcare professionals – carried out in 2023- also showed concerns around poor communication, lack of personalised care, staff shortages and delays still persist.
The Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle (SBLCB) was introduced in England from 2015 as the Government’s response to a stillbirth rate that was comparatively higher than many western countries.
SBLCB has evolved through three versions in 2016, 2019, and 2023, each building on the last to improve maternity care and reduce perinatal mortality across England.
The SBLCB evaluation- of version 2 – found it had been successfully rolled-out in the majority of NHS maternity providers and that midwives and frontline staff have a pivotal role in implementing it.
Women’s positive experiences were linked to feeling listened to, being involved in decision-making, effective communication and continuity of care.
They encountered staff, the researchers found, who acknowledged their history and made them feeling able to ask questions.
However their negative experiences often stemmed from poor communication and lack of personalised care, making them feel dismissed, especially when expressing concerns about reduced fetal movement and during labour.
Some of the women who had a negative labour or birth experience also reported disorganised and inconsistent care, staff shortages, lack of beds and poor pain management which left them feeling neglected.
Poor communication between staff made care feel disjointed and was further hindered with changes to electronic notes, they reported.
Risk factors was not always communicated effectively and women were often given no choice in their treatment which meant they felt threatened or frustrated.
Alexander Heazell, is Professor of Obstetrics at The University of Manchester, Honorary Consultant Obstetrician at St Mary’s Hospital, and Director of the Tommy’s Stillbirth Research Centre.
He said: “We analysed a total of 1,071 women’s written responses about their antenatal care, of which 89% reported a positive experience. 86% had positive experience of labour.
“So much progress has been made in terms of their experiences around feeling listened to and reassured, feeling in control of decision-making and encounters with staff and care.
“Our data suggest that elements of the SBLCBv2 are increasingly embedded in maternity care, but refinements are still needed.
“This will address variation in practice between units and to support effective communication between health care professionals and service users to balance standardised clinical practice with personalised care.
