Changes in maternity care over time
Summary
The recently published 2014 survey of women's views of maternity care enabled comparison to be made with previous surveys in 2006 and 2010, and also with the Audit Commission survey of 1995 where questions were the same. Preliminary analyses show that, compared with earlier surveys in 2006 and 2010, women are realising they are pregnant and seeing a health professional earlier, with 96% seeking care by 12 weeks. Other results show that postnatal hospital stays are continuing to get shorter and the number of postnatal visits is declining. Overall satisfaction with care remains high although, as in earlier surveys, satisfaction with postnatal care is lower than that for antenatal care or care in labour and delivery.
Publications
Journal Articles
- Henderson J, Carson C, Redshaw M. Impact of preterm birth on maternal well-being and women's perceptions of their baby: a population-based survey. BMJ open. 2016;6(10):e012676.
- Henderson J, Redshaw M. Change over time in women's views and experiences of maternity care in England, 1995-2014: A comparison using survey data. Midwifery. 2017;44:35-40.