Newborns seven times more likely to die in certain areas of the UK, says chilling report revealing NHS failings
Three quarters of health bodies fail mums-to-be, with only one in entire country deemed 'top performing'
THREE in four health bodies are failing mums-to-be, a damning report reveals.
It has left a survival lottery in which newborns are up to seven times more likely to die in some parts of the country.
The shock statistics were revealed yesterday in an NHS report giving 209 commissioning groups Ofsted-style ratings.
Only one, West Kent, was deemed “top performing” while 144 “need improvement” and 11 fell into the worst category.
The ratings were based on four indicators — maternal smoking rates, neonatal deaths and stillbirths, women’s experience, and survey results.
Rates of neonatal deaths and stillbirths per 1,000 tots were 13.2 in North Kirklees, compared to 1.8 in Bracknell and Ascot in Berkshire.
The review was ordered by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt in an attempt to raise standards.
He admitted there “is more to do”, adding: “We want the NHS to be one of the safest places in the world to have a baby.”
Dr Matthew Jolly, of NHS England, said the ratings will help improve care and insisted: “It has never been safer to give birth in this country and the vast majority of women report a good experience.”
But last night Royal College of Midwives head Cathy Warwick said: “Poorly performing services need to be addressing this variation very urgently.”
And Clea Harmer, of stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands, called the ratings “another reminder of the unacceptable variation in quality across the country”.
Meanwhile a second NHS report found only four in ten areas in England were doing well for mental health, but classed one in ten as in “greatest need of improvement”.