Risk to women of severe bleeding after giving birth at five-year high in England

The possibility of a mother losing a large amount of blood is a known risk of childbirth. Photograph: gorodenkoff/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The risk of women in England suffering severe bleeding after giving birth has risen to its highest level for five years, prompting fresh concern about NHS maternity care.

The rate at which mothers in England experience postpartum haemorrhage has increased from 27 per 1,000 births in 2020 to 32 per 1,000 this year, a rise of 19%.