A senior midwife has warned that “systemic problems” in Scotland’s maternity services mean mums are not getting adequate care after birth.
Leah Hazard said pressure on staff to get mothers and babies “quickly out of the door” meant hospitals were often failing to provide the aftercare mothers need. As a result, some women were developing preventable infections that could have been avoided or treated sooner if they were given proper hospital care.
It comes after a survey of nearly 900 Scottish midwives by the Royal College of Midwives found that three quarters of them were considering leaving the profession. Many cited frustrations that they weren’t able to provide acceptable quality of care due to staff shortages.
