Author of England maternity care review ‘listened to wrong voices’, says adviser

Doctors say interventions have increased to help ensure the safety of mothers and babies at a time when the complexity of childbirth has risen. Photograph: Natalia Deriabina/Getty Images

The head of an inquiry into maternity care altered its final report to remove criticism of “normal birth ideology”, one of her expert advisers claims.

Dr Bill Kirkup said Valerie Amos “listened to the wrong voices” before a section outlining the potential risks of encouraging women to have a vaginal birth “disappeared” from the final version of her government-commissioned report.