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News ArticleWomen would no longer be prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy in England and Wales under a proposed shake-up of abortion laws. MPs are set to get a free vote next week - meaning they will not be told how to vote by their party - on a change to the law. It comes amid concern more women are being investigated by police on suspicion of illegally ending a pregnancy. Abortion is illegal in England and Wales, most often prosecuted under a piece of Victorian legislation, the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861. But it is allowed up to 24 weeks and in certain other circumstances under the terms of the 1967 Abortion Act. This requires two doctors to sign it off and even before 24 weeks can require a woman to testify that her mental or physical health is at risk. An amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, tabled by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, aims to decriminalise abortion at any stage by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy, ending the threat of investigation or imprisonment. The framework by which abortion is accessed would remain the same. But abortions would only need to be signed off by two doctors - as the law currently demands - if the procedure takes place in a hospital or other healthcare setting. Time limits would also still apply in healthcare settings. "The police cannot be trusted with abortion law – nor can the CPS or the wider criminal justice system," Antoniazzi said. "My amendment to the crime and policing bill will give us the urgent change we need to protect women." Read full story Source: BBC News, 20 June 2025
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News Article
Australia: Monash IVF admits second bungled embryo implant
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A second bungled embryo implant at Monash IVF has sparked a new investigation and the expansion of a review into the first incident, which led to a woman unknowingly giving birth to a stranger’s baby. Monash IVF said in a statement on Tuesday that in June “a patient’s own embryo was incorrectly transferred to that patient, contrary to the treatment plan which designated the transfer of an embryo of the patient’s partner”. “Monash IVF has extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple, and we continue to support them,” the fertility company said. The first error was announced in April. In that case, a patient at one of its Queensland clinics had an embryo incorrectly transferred to her, meaning she gave birth to a child of an unrelated woman. The mistake was blamed on human error. Monash IVF asked senior counsel Fiona McLeod to investigate. Lawyers described the incident as a legal and ethical nightmare while Monash IVF said it was confident it was an isolated incident. The latest incident happened in a Victorian laboratory. The state’s health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, confirmed the Victorian health regulator was investigating. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 10 June 2025 -
News Article
Women warned weight-loss jabs may affect the pill
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Women using weight-loss jabs have been warned by the UK's medicines regulator that they must use effective contraception. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says it is not known whether taking the medicines, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, could harm an unborn baby. It also warns that weight-loss jabs may make the contraceptive pill less likely to work in those who are overweight or obese. There are concerns that the growing popularity of 'skinny jabs' means many women aren't using the drugs safely or getting the right advice. It's thought the contraceptive pill may not be absorbed properly due to common side-effects of the jabs such as vomiting and diarrhoea, and because they slow the emptying of the stomach. The MHRA says women should use contraception while taking GLP-1 medicines and for a certain period afterwards before trying to become pregnant - two months for Wegovy and Ozempic, and one month for Mounjaro. It also advises that those using Mounjaro and taking an oral contraceptive should also use a condom for four weeks after starting the drug, or switch to another method such as the coil or implant. Advice on contraception already appears in patient information leaflets that come with the medicines, but the MHRA has now issued its own guidance. Read full story Source: BBC News, 5 June 2025 -
News Article
Trump rescinds guidance protecting women in need of emergency abortions
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded Biden-era guidance clarifying that hospitals in states with abortion bans cannot turn away pregnant patients who are in the midst of medical emergencies – a move that comes amid multiple red-state court battles over the guidance. The guidance deals with the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (Emtala), which requires hospitals to stabilize patients facing medical emergencies. States such as Idaho and Texas have argued that the Biden administration’s guidance, which it issued in the wake of the 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade, interpreted Emtala incorrectly. In its letter rescinding the guidance, the Trump administration said that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) “will continue to enforce Emtala, which protects all individuals who present to a hospital emergency department seeking examination or treatment, including for identified emergency medical conditions that place the health of a pregnant woman or her unborn child in serious jeopardy. CMS will work to rectify any perceived legal confusion and instability created by the former administration’s actions.” Abortion rights supporters said on Tuesday that rescinding the Biden administration’s guidance will muddy hospitals’ ability to interpret Emtala and endanger pregnant patients’ lives. Since Roe’s collapse, dozens of women have come forward to say that they were denied medical treatment due to abortion bans. A reported five pregnant women have died after having their care denied or delayed, or being unable to access legal abortions. “This action sends a clear message: the lives and health of pregnant people are not worth protecting,” Dr Jamila Perritt, an OB-GYN and the president of Physicians for Reproductive Health, said in a statement. “Complying with this law can mean the difference between life and death for pregnant people, forcing providers like me to choose between caring for someone in their time of need and turning my back on them to comply with cruel and dangerous laws.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 3 June 2025 -
News Article
New NHS programme to reduce brain injury in childbirth
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Expectant mothers will receive safer maternity care as a new NHS programme to help prevent brain injury during childbirth is rolled out across the country. The Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth (ABC) programme will help maternity staff to better identify signs that the baby is in distress during labour so they can act quickly. It will also help staff respond more effectively to obstetric emergencies, such as where the baby’s head becomes lodged deep in the mother’s pelvis during a caesarean birth. The government programme, which will begin from September and follows an extensive development phase and pilot scheme, will reduce the number of avoidable brain injuries during childbirth – helping to prevent lifelong conditions like cerebral palsy. The national rollout is only one step the government is taking to improve maternity services under its Plan for Change to fix the health service, as it reforms the NHS to ensure all women receive safe, personalised and compassionate care. Read full story Source: Department of Health and Social Care, 12 May 2025 -
News Article
UK woman who took pills during lockdown cleared of illegal abortion
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A woman has been cleared of illegally terminating a pregnancy, after taking abortion pills during lockdown. Nicola Packer took the pills at home in November 2020. She had been prescribed mifepristone and misoprostol after a remote consultation. She later delivered a foetus, which the court heard was estimated to be about 26 weeks in gestation, which she brought with her to Chelsea and Westminster hospital, Isleworth crown court heard. She was arrested in hospital and later charged with “unlawfully administering to herself a poison or other noxious thing” with the “intent to procure a miscarriage”. Packer had been prescribed the medication under emergency pandemic legislation – later made permanent – that allows for pills to be dispatched by post after a remote consultation in pregnancies up to 10 weeks. The prosecution had alleged that she believed she was more than 10 weeks pregnant at the time she took the pills. But she denied the charges, and was found not guilty by a jury of nine women and three men, who returned a unanimous verdict, after the two-week trial. Katie Saxon, the chief strategic communications officer at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said: “A woman who sought medical attention after experiencing a traumatic event has had to endure a protracted police investigation and public trial, her private life picked apart by prosecutors and reported in the national press, at a huge emotional and financial cost. “Prosecuting women for ‘illegal’ abortion is never in the public interest, and no woman should ever have to go through this again.” Dr Ranee Thakar, the president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “As a doctor, I am acutely aware of how vital it is that women can access essential healthcare in a safe and supportive environment. “Restrictive abortion laws in England and Wales nurture an environment of fear, stigmatisation and criminalisation. They needlessly subject women to prolonged investigation, criminal charges, and custodial sentences for ending their own pregnancy.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 8 May 2025 -
News Article
Earlier C-section could have saved baby
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A baby who died three days after birth would have survived if her mother had been offered a caesarean section, a coroner has said. Emmy Russo was delivered at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow but died on 12 January 2024. Mother Bryony Russo told an inquest at Essex Coroner's Court that her requests for a C-section were "laughed off" during the hours she was there in labour. Assistant coroner for Essex, Thea Wilson, said there were five missed opportunities to offer Ms Russo a C-section, and that Emmy's chances would have been different had she been born an hour earlier. "She would have been born in a better condition and on the balance of probabilities she would have survived," she said. "There was a failure to respond adequately to the request for a C-section" Independent expert obstetrician Teresa Kelly had told the coroner there was enough evidence "this baby wasn't coping with labour" and staff should have acted sooner. Giving evidence, midwife Megan Fletcher defended her decision not to escalate concerns to a more senior doctor, saying she was trying to avoid any further "invasive procedures". Read full story Source: BBC News, 7 May 2025 -
News ArticleOne by one, 29 women sat before Dr Laura Abbott in similarly small, nondescript rooms across five UK prisons, and described losing their babies. They were not bereaved in the conventional sense – although they were clearly holding in grief, as once the guards had left, they let rare public tears fall. Prisoners who had given birth in custody, they had been separated from their newborn children. In some cases this had happened within four or five days of becoming mothers. “It was worse than giving birth,” said one woman. “That was the hardest pain of my life. I’ve never felt pain like it … It was in my chest, in my heart. Even in my belly.” “It was as if my whole body craved him,” said another woman. “It’s like losing a limb, losing your sight,” a third explained. “It’s like losing any hope.” Some of the mothers were still producing milk when Abbott and her assistants spoke to them. One said she was so reluctant to raise this in the prison that she was expressing manually into her cell sink. Abbott, 54, a former midwife and senior lecturer in midwifery at the University of Hertfordshire, spoke to the women last year for the Lost Mothers Project, which will be launching at the British Museum in London on 8 May. A collaboration between the university, the charity Birth Companions and an advisory team of women with lived experience, the report, which is the result of three years of research, examines the experiences and needs of an invisible cohort. Anna (not her real name), 38, has endured this. She was six months pregnant when she was sent to prison nine years ago for her first offence. She was at full term when she finally stood before an MBU board. She is vocal about the horrors of giving birth in custody. She had to press her call bell “four or five times for an hour” when she felt labour pains. She says she was taken to hospital in handcuffs: “[The guard] told me to be grateful that she put me in long cuffs.” They were taken off before she was taken to the delivery suite – since 2022, it is mandated that restraints must not be used on pregnant women taken to appointments unless they are deemed essential. But it is when she talks about her subsequent separation from her son that Anna momentarily loses her words. She was initially granted an MBU place, but when bailed before sentencing she had to go back to the beginning, and needed to reapply when she returned to prison. This bureaucratic delay resulted in a five-week separation. Anna began to feel suicidal, and even stopped her mum bringing her son to visit. “It was just getting harder. Sometimes my legs felt heavy, as if they didn’t want to walk away,” she says. “Sorry, I’m getting upset …” She continues: “It was as if somebody was tearing my heart out.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 6 May 2025
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Content ArticleThis Independent Report led by Professor Mary Renfrew was commissioned in May 2023 by the Department of Health (DoH) Northern Ireland (NI). It forms part of a broad programme of work to receive assurance on the safety of maternity and neonatal services for the population of NI. It resulted from two related developments: A request from the Coroner for Northern Ireland that the Department of Health NI take action to investigate her concerns following an inquest into the death of a baby that raised questions about care in Freestanding midwifery led units (MLUs). In the inquest report the Coroner identified a number of practice and system failings and shortcomings including the management of shoulder dystocia, fetal macrosomia (the baby being large for gestational age), and raised maternal body mass index (BMI). At the time of the inquest, all Freestanding MLUs in NI were closed. The Coroner found that a comprehensive review of the number of staff, experience, training, and policies should be conducted by the DoH, in the event of these Units reopening in the future. In response to this request, the Permanent Secretary asked the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for NI, along with the Midwifery Officer, to instigate an inquiry into the issues highlighted by the Coroner. Several other reports, both local and national, concerning the safety of services for pregnant women, new mothers, and babies required consideration of the wider health service context that influences midwifery and maternity care and services. In summary, the report advocates for the following changes: A shared strategic vision for safe, quality midwifery and wider maternal and newborn services in Northern Ireland with a regional framework for action. A reconfigured relationship with women, families and communities, ensuring respectful personalised care for all and a genuine voice in shaping services. A consistent, region-wide, evidence-informed approach to planning, funding, standards, provision, monitoring, and review of maternity and neonatal services. Improving clinical, psychological, and cultural safety and equity for women, babies and families across the whole continuum of care and in all settings. Changing the prevailing work culture to implement an enabling environment for all staff and managers, including ensuring midwives are represented at senior management levels, tackling silo working, and developing an open learning culture at every level of the system. Supporting midwives to provide quality midwifery care and services across the whole continuum of maternal and newborn care, with investment in community as well as hospital services, and increasing midwives’ influence over the safety and quality of care and services. Better oversight through improved accountability, monitoring, evaluation, and research. A unified approach to education and training of all staff, including leadership development - especially for midwives - and capacity building for the future.
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Content ArticleThyroid disease is a common endocrine disorder in women of childbearing age. There is variation in clinical practice and approach to thyroid diseases globally, in part influenced by differences in population iodine status. There remains controversy regarding testing for and management of thyroid disorders before conception, during pregnancy and postpartum. This guideline presents the available evidence for best practice and where evidence is lacking, consensus opinion by a multidisciplinary, cross-specialty team of authors is presented. Both inadequate and excessive treatment of thyroid disorders, the choice of treatment, as well as delayed commencement and adjustment of treatment, can result in detrimental effects on the pregnancy and fetus. Therefore, care should be optimised when planning pregnancy, during pregnancy and after birth, and where possible, provided by clinicians with appropriate obstetric and endocrine experience.
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Content ArticleWhat does a mother need to know to ensure that she has a safe pregnancy and delivery? What are some warning signs to watch for? And what are a woman’s rights while going through a pregnancy and delivery? Join maternal health expert Dr Femi Oladapo on Science in 5. This episode is published as part of the campaign in 2025 for World Health Day dedicated to Maternal and Newborn Health. Further reading on the hub: Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures: Black maternal mental health Top picks: Key resources for maternity safety
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Content ArticleWomen today are more likely than ever to survive pregnancy and childbirth according to a major new report released today, but United Nations (UN) agencies highlight the threat of major backsliding as unprecedented aid cuts take effect around the world. Released on World Health Day, the UN report, Trends in maternal mortality, shows a 40% global decline in maternal deaths between 2000 and 2023 – largely due to improved access to essential health services. Still, the report reveals that the pace of improvement has slowed significantly since 2016, and that an estimated 260 000 women died in 2023 as a result of complications from pregnancy or childbirth – roughly equivalent to one maternal death every two minutes. The report comes as humanitarian funding cuts are having severe impacts on essential health care in many parts of the world, forcing countries to roll back vital services for maternal, newborn and child health. These cuts have led to facility closures and loss of health workers, while also disrupting supply chains for lifesaving supplies and medicines such as treatments for haemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and malaria – all leading causes of maternal deaths. Without urgent action, the agencies warn that pregnant women in multiple countries will face severe repercussions – particularly those in humanitarian settings where maternal deaths are already alarmingly high.
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Content ArticleThe UK has one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the world, but black women are still twice as likely as white women to die from pregnancy related causes. Historically, this disparity has been as high as fivefold, kickstarting initiatives such as Five X More to push for improved maternal outcomes in black women. Despite improvements in recent years, racial inequalities stubbornly persist. In this BMJ feature, Samara Linton explores why—and what’s being done to improve outcomes. Related reading on the hub: Top picks: Race and ethnic health inequalities
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Content Article
This is a brief summary of a Westminster Hall debate in the House of Commons on the 27 March 2025 concerning the first anniversary of The Hughes Report on valproate and pelvic mesh. What is a Westminster Hall Debate Westminster Hall debates give Members of Parliament (MPs) an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate. The Hughes Report The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, published in July 2020, highlighted the scale of avoidable harm related to three medical interventions: hormone pregnancy tests, sodium valproate and pelvic mesh implants. One of the Review’s key recommendations was that separate redress schemes should be established for patients adversely affected by these interventions. Published on the 7 February 2024, the Patient Safety Commissioner for England set out options for redress for two of these interventions, pelvic mesh and sodium valproate in The Hughes Report. It recommends the government creates a two-stage financial redress scheme – an interim scheme to enable the identification of all those harmed ensuring patients receive financial redress quickly – and a main scheme. You can find Patient Safety Learning’s reflections on the first anniversary of this report’s publication here. House of Commons debate In the discussion MPs highlighted individual cases from their constituents relating to pelvic mesh and sodium valproate and also discussed: The need to confirm a timeline for the Government's response to The Hughes Report. Considering whether there is scope to implement a sunshine-style piece of legislation to ensure the transparency of payments made by industry to the healthcare sector. The difficulties of getting financial redress outside of a Government scheme. On mesh, it was noted that of the 1,252 legal cases initiated between 2014 and 2024, only 356 were settled in or out of court with damages, but 678 were concluded without any such damages being awarded. Concerns about specialist mesh removal centres being run by clinicians who have inserted mesh. Considering whether the initial interim payment of £25,000, proposed by the report, could be prioritised ahead of finalising arrangements for the main payment. Responding on behalf of the Government to this debate was Ashley Dalton MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention. She noted that: The previous Government had held a consultation on the principle of mandatory reporting for industry payments made to the health sector. The Department of Health and Social Care was now considering options regarding payment reporting, with an aim to publish a response later this year. The Government is still considering all the options and the associated costs before responding to The Hughes Report’s recommendations. She stated that she would write to Baroness Marron to clarify timescales around this. -
News Article
Morning-after pill to be offered without charge at pharmacies in England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The morning-after pill will be available without charge on the NHS at pharmacies in England, the government has announced in an effort to reduce the “postcode lottery” of free access to the emergency contraception. The morning-after pill is one of two forms of emergency contraception that women can use after having unprotected sex, or where other forms of contraception have failed. The sooner that emergency contraception is used, the more effective it is. The new announcement aims to increase access to the morning-after pill; while it is already available for nothing from most GP surgeries, most sexual health clinics and some NHS walk-in centres, not all pharmacies offer it for nothing, with some women paying up to £30 for the medication. The health minister Stephen Kinnock said: “Equal access to safe and effective contraception is crucial to women’s healthcare and a cornerstone of a fair society. “Women across England face an unfair postcode lottery when seeking emergency contraception, with access varying dramatically depending on where they live. By making this available at community pharmacies, we will ensure all women can access this essential healthcare when they need it, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 30 March 2025- -
News ArticleArtificial intelligence is being hailed as a potential game-changer in prenatal care, cutting down the time it takes to identify fetal abnormalities by almost half, according to a groundbreaking new study. Researchers at King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust found as well as being faster, AI is just as accurate as traditional methods, offering the potential to revolutionise the 20-week scan. The technology, tested in the first trial of its kind, could significantly reduce scan times, easing anxiety for expectant parents and freeing up sonographers to focus on potential problem areas. The AI also proved more reliable than human sonographers in taking crucial measurements. This improved accuracy offers the potential for earlier detection of potential issues, allowing medical professionals to intervene sooner if required. The AI tool was also found to alter the way in which the scan is performed, as sonographers no longer needed to pause, save images or measure during the scan. Read full story Source: The Independent, 27 March 2025
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News Article
Three-quarters of UK fertility patients using unproven add-on treatments
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Almost three-quarters of people undergoing fertility treatment in the UK are using “unproven extras” to increase their chances of having a baby, despite little evidence that they work. The findings, from the UK’s fertility watchdog, mean that about 40,000 people a year wanting to conceive are spending money on acupuncture, supplements and drugs, even though they are largely unproven. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) issued the caution in its latest annual national patient survey, which captures patients’ experiences of NHS and private fertility care. Overall, 73% of patients are using at least one additional test, treatment or emerging technology when undergoing IVF or donor insemination treatment, the survey of 1,500 people showed. The regulator has been trying since 2017 to reduce the use of such extra treatments “since almost all remain unproven in increasing the chance of having a baby for most patients”. More than half (52%) of patients who opted to pay for what the HFEA calls an “unproven extra” did so after discussing with their doctor how effective it was likely to be. Even more (59%) went ahead based on their clinic’s recommendation, the HFEA found. The regulator voiced concern about the fact that “only 37% of patients said their clinics explained the risks of using an additional test, treatment or emerging technology”. “It’s disappointing to see a significant number of patients are still using add-ons and emerging technologies, and particularly disappointing that only half of patients had the effectiveness explained to them, let alone the risks”, said Julia Chain, the HFEA’s chair. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 26 March 2025 -
Content ArticleSome hospitals have established a preterm birth pathway to predict, prevent, and prepare for early births. This study reviewed and made suggestions on how best to implement the pathway. These included: better staff training on early birth and the pathway multidisciplinary preterm teams women-centered care. Obstetricians, midwives, hospital managers, and professional bodies for maternity care could use the findings to improve care.
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Content ArticleIt has now been more than a year since plans for a compensation scheme were laid out for those affected by the sodium valproate scandal—and it is a state failure that stretches back decades. Sodium valproate is an effective treatment for epilepsy, but it has been linked to lifelong disabilities in around 20,000 babies born since the 1970s whose mothers were prescribed the drug while they were pregnant. Many were not properly warned of the risks, and a 2020 review concluded that thousands of mothers and babies had been exposed to "avoidable harm". In opposition, Labour said that financial redress for victims was "desperately needed" - so why has nothing happened since the party took office? And how much longer will those families be forced to wait? Related reading on the hub: A year on from The Hughes Report: Urgent action needed on redress
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News Article
Texas charges midwife in first arrest under state’s abortion ban
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A Houston-area midwife was arrested for providing illegal abortions, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said Monday, marking the first criminal charges under the state’s near-total abortion ban. Maria Margarita Rojas, 49, was charged with the illegal performance of an abortion and practicing medicine without a license, Paxton’s office said in a news release. Rojas owned and operated health clinics in Waller, Cypress and Spring, Paxton’s office said. Her facilities employed unlicensed people who presented themselves as medical professionals, officials alleged. Performing an abortion in Texas is punishable by up to life in prison and up to $100,000 in civil penalties. Abortions are only permitted when a pregnant woman is at risk of death or “substantial impairment of a major bodily function.” The law targets anyone who performs or helps set up an illegal abortion, including people who facilitate the distribution of abortion pills. Women seeking abortions can’t be charged under the state’s law. “In Texas, life is sacred,” Paxton said in a statement Monday. “I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted. Texas law protecting life is clear, and we will hold those who violate it accountable.” Marc Hearron, interim associate director of ligation at the Center for Reproductive Rights, an organization that aims to protect reproductive rights, condemned Paxton’s efforts to ban abortions. “While details of this case remain unclear, we know that Texas officials have been trying every which way to terrify healthcare practitioners from providing care and to trap Texans,” Hearron said in a statement. “Their ultimate goal is to end abortion access for all Texans entirely — and they will throw people in jail to get there.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: Washington Post, 18 March 2025 -
News Article
Rubella warning to pregnant women amid MMR jab decline
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Diminishing rates of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) jabs have prompted a Royal College warning over the risks to pregnant women, as the NHS raises concerns over London “lagging” behind the national uptake. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s immunisations lead, Dr Helen Bradford, said the falling uptake of the MMR vaccine could present a serious risk to pregnant women and their unborn children. The warning comes as London health authorities are planning a major summer drive to improve uptake in the capital, The Independent has learned. Documents seen by The Independent setting out NHS plans for a summer MMR campaign put the focus on social media, including approaching “influencers” to spread messages. The plans also rely on free publicity, with proposals to approach broadcast media. Risks to increasing uptake, according to the document, included anti-vaxx sentiment towards MMR, apathy towards the vaccine, controversy meaning influencers won’t work with the NHS, and a lack of internal data. Read full story Source: The Independent, 27 June 2022 -
News ArticleTwo women who police allege practised as unregistered midwives have been charged with manslaughter after a baby died after a home birth on the New South Wales mid north coast. The women, aged 41 and 51, appeared in Coffs Harbour local court on Wednesday in relation to the newborn boy’s death in 2022. Emergency services were called to a home in Karangi, north-west of Coffs Harbour, when the baby was unresponsive after the home birth on 11 September 2022, NSW police said in a statement. Paramedics treated the baby before he was airlifted to Coffs Harbour base hospital where he died. Police allege the younger woman was an unregistered midwife at the time of the birth while the older woman held no medical qualifications and had been practising unregistered home-birth midwifery. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 13 March 2025
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News ArticlePregnant women in prison in England are three times more likely to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes than those on the outside, according to “alarming” new data. Figures obtained through freedom of information (FOI) requests to NHS trusts providing healthcare to women’s prisons in England found 12% of women receiving care relating to pregnancy in 2023 were diagnosed with the condition, triple the national figure of 4%. Laura Abbott, associate professor in midwifery at Hertfordshire University, said these figures were “alarming but not surprising”. “We have known for many years that preterm birth is more common among incarcerated pregnant women, and this further highlights the severe health risks they face,” she said. “Gestational diabetes increases the risk of high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia, serious conditions that require early detection, good nutrition and careful obstetric management, which is extremely difficult in a prison setting. It can also increase the risk of stillbirth.” There were 215 pregnant women in prison in England between April 2023 and March 2024, according to figures published by the Ministry of Justice. There were 52 births while in custody, 98% of which took place in hospital. The NHS and Prison Ombudsman categorise all pregnancies in prison as high risk. Pregnant women in prison are seven times more likely to have a stillbirth and twice as likely to go into premature labour, according to data from FOI requests in 2022. In 2019, newborn Aisha Cleary died at HMP Bronzefield after her mother, who was in prison on remand, was left to give birth alone in her cell. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 23 February 2025
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News Article
USA: Sepsis soared 50% after Texas banned abortions
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
After Texas banned abortion in 2021, sepsis rates increased more than 50% for women hospitalized after losing their pregnancies in the second trimester, according to a ProPublica analysis. The outlet previously reported on the deaths of three pregnant women who were denied timely care due to the state's restrictive abortion laws. In September, the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, which examines all pregnancy-related deaths, decided to not examine cases from 2022 to 2023 and instead review more recent deaths. In a first-of-its-kind data analysis, ProPublica found that, compared to prepandemic years, dozens more pregnant and postpartum women died in Texas hospitals. When abortion was legal in the state, the sepsis rate hovered at about 2.9%. After abortion was banned, the rate of sepsis increased to 4.9%. Texas outlaws abortion with the exception of medical emergency cases, but healthcare providers in the state have expressed confusion and hesitance about the exception's parameters. Some physicians have said their hospitals do not allow them to empty the uterus — the standard of care for patients miscarrying in the second trimester — until they can diagnose a life-threatening complication or the fetal heartbeat stops. This sepsis risk increase was most striking for patients whose fetus may have had a heartbeat when they entered the hospital, ProPublica reported. Read full story Source: Becker's Hospital Review, 20 February 2025 -
News Article
Trump’s aid cuts deny one million women a week access to contraception
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
On 20 January, USAID issued a blanket “stop-work” order to all of its partners, demanding that organisations cease operations. In early February, the Trump administration fired the majority of all 10,000-plus USAID workers, leaving around just 290 employees. Though a US federal judge issued a temporary order to lift the aid freeze on 14 February, there is no clear evidence yet that programmes are back in action, with many hesitant to act under rapidly changing guidance. USAID’s reach across the world cannot be overstated. Some 141 countries relied on some form of USAID in 2024, worth $42.5bn (£33.3bn) in 2023 (the last available year). Around $600m each year of USAID funding has been spent on family planning; and now, the impact of its withdrawal is being felt worldwide. For every week without USAID, nearly one million women and girls worldwide are denied contraceptive care, according to analysis from the Guttmacher Institute, a leading reproductive health policy organisation. An average of 130,390 women received contraceptive care each day from US-funded programmes before the freeze. As a result of the immediate stop-work order, some 912,730 women will not receive contraception each week; amounting to approximately 3.8 million women who are estimated to have already been denied contraceptive care since the freeze (between 20 January and 18 February). Most of these programmes are in sub-Saharan Africa, with funding going to family planning in Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and more. But the withdrawal of USAID will impact all sectors of global health; not least maternal health, where USAID has been vital to healthcare infrastructure in many of these countries. “Looking at the wider landscape in addition to family planning, when you take away maternal health services as well, which is what’s happening, there’s a cascading effect,” a USAID official explained. With gaps in midwives, equipment, and pre- and post-natal care, the risk of maternal death is likely to increase, in addition to pregnancy complications. Read full story Source: The Independent, 18 February 2025
