RCOG: Services are safe
Friday, 25 Jan 2008 09:45
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has sought to reassure people that maternity services in England safe.
A review conducted by the Healthcare Commission deemed one in five maternity wards to be 'least performing well'.
The commission said it has "real concerns" about care in London and uncovered a wider postcode lottery in the quality of care across the country.
In a statement the RCOG said the report is a "useful tool for maternity teams to improve their services" but added that "there are factors beyond the control of individual providers".
These include high-risk populations, a mobile population with language difficulties and staffing shortages.
"The RCOG notes that 60 per cent of NHS maternity services are rated as best or better performing," the statement read.
"Although some trusts have been labelled fair or less well performing, this does not reflect unsafe services. Issues related to the availability and quality of data had some influence in the end results.
"In particular, London-based trusts have performed badly in the review. There are reasons why this may be the case: lower staffing levels, higher concentration of ethnic minorities in some inner city or suburban areas. The review results do not reflect these factors."