📢 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 (𝗡𝗠𝗣𝗔). This important report analyses data from 𝟱𝟵𝟯,𝟰𝟳𝟱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝘆 in NHS maternity services across England, Scotland and Wales in 2024. It provides a detailed national picture of maternity care — and highlights some important changes and inequalities that we need to understand and act upon. - 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴. The proportion giving birth 𝘃𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 was 𝟰𝟲.𝟰% 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, down from 49.4% in 2023 and 62.3% in 2015/16. At the same time, rates of both planned and unplanned caesarean birth have increased. These changing patterns have important implications for maternity workforce, theatre capacity, anaesthetic services and postnatal beds. - 𝗜𝗻𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻. Nearly 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 (𝟮𝟰.𝟰%) had their first booking appointment with a midwife after 10 weeks of pregnancy. The rate of booking after 10 weeks among Black women and birthing people was 𝟮.𝟭 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 that among white women and birthing people, with later booking also more common among those living in the most deprived areas. - 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗴𝗲 (𝗦𝗚𝗔). The proportion of babies who were SGA and born at or after 40 weeks fell by 𝟭𝟰 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀, from 55.4% in 2015/16 to 41.4% in 2024. However, variation between countries remains. The report also identifies important gaps in our national maternity data, including incomplete recording of the reasons for induction, caesarean birth and clinician-recommended birth. Better-quality data are essential if we are to understand variation, identify inequalities and improve care. As 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗠𝗣𝗔, I am proud to have contributed to this work. But publication of the data is only the beginning. 𝗪𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗿, 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻, 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀. Read the report and explore the data: 🔗 maternityaudit.org.uk/pages/… #NMPA #MaternityCare #MaternitySafety #MaternalHealth #PerinatalHealth #Pregnancy #NHS