Hundreds of mothers diverted while in labour

Nearly 1,000 women were diverted to other NHS trusts or units while in labour within a six-month period this year, HSJ can reveal.

The information was obtained via a Freedom of Information request, but only 68 of approximately 120 trusts with maternity units provided responses – so the true figure is likely to be significantly higher.

In 528 of the 925 incidents recorded between January to June this year, patients were diverted to a different NHS trust from their chosen place of birth to either have their baby or to receive further care while they were in suspected or confirmed labour.

Of those, 402 were due to staffing, capacity issues in neonatal units, and high acuity of illness in women with a lack of diverse skill mix to support them. The remaining diverts were for clinical reasons such as premature labour.

A further 397 incidents involved diversions being made to other hospitals within the same NHS trust, bringing the overall total to 925.

HSJ’s research shines a light on a problem which is widely known but has not been properly quantified for several years.

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Source: HSJ, 17 December 2024