Warning for NHS as staggering number of new mothers seek emergency medical care
More than one in five mothers in England need urgent medical attention within a year of giving birth, with black and young mothers disproportionately affected, a new report has found.
The Nuffield Trust found that 22 per cent of new mothers accessed urgent care within 12 months of giving birth to their baby.
The analysis, which examined 1.6 million births across England between April 2021 and March 2024, showed that emergency hospital admissions occurred after six per cent of births, or one in 20.
Emergent contacts occurred most frequently in the first few days after birth; 21 per cent of mothers go to A&E and six per cent require hospitalization overall.
The report warned that mothers were “particularly vulnerable” in the first weeks and months following birth.
Building on previous studies revealing the inequalities women experience during pregnancy and birth, she also emphasized that “health inequalities push women into the next phase of motherhood.”
Around one in 10 emergency contacts, including both A&E visits and emergency hospital admissions, occurred in the first two weeks, and almost a quarter in the first six weeks.
There was a “notable increase” in women’s emergency contacts five days after giving birth, the researchers said.
The most common reasons for visiting the emergency room included stomach pain, chest pain, and vaginal bleeding.
Especially in the first six weeks after birth, the reasons for admission to the emergency room were bleeding and infections.
Read more: ‘Cinderella’ postnatal care left women ‘forgotten’ after birth
The report highlights “stark inequalities” between women seeking urgent support:
- The authors found that around 27 per cent of births to mothers living in the most deprived areas resulted in emergency contact within a year, compared to 17 per cent for those living in the least deprived areas.
- Women with a mental health condition were up to 79 per cent more likely to be contacted by a postpartum emergency than those without such a record.
- Those who were obese had up to a 26 percent increased risk of needing emergency help, while those with lung conditions had up to a 45 percent higher risk.
- Black women were more likely to go to the hospital for an emergency during their baby’s first year, compared to the overall average. Women of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and “other” Asian ethnicities also faced “significantly increased” risk.
- Young mothers under 20 were also more likely to need emergency help.
Sarah Scobie, deputy director of research and reporting at the Nuffield Trust, said: “Mothers who go to A&E immediately after birth are almost certainly bringing their young babies with them, or worse, being separated from them at a critical time.
“In the first weeks and months, mothers will want to focus on the joy their new baby will bring, rather than fearing a trip to emergency hospital when they are most vulnerable.
“Policymakers and NHS leaders need to consider whether the majority of postnatal urgent care visits could be prevented with better community care, or indeed improved preventive care well before birth.
“The worrying diversity we uncovered shows that some mothers need much more targeted support from the NHS and other community services.
“Many recent reports, including the Amos Review of maternity services, have clearly revealed the inequalities women, particularly black women, face during pregnancy and birth. We now have evidence to show that health inequalities follow women into the next stage of motherhood.”
“It is appalling that in one in five A&E visits a year after birth the reason for the visit is not even recorded. This is a clear area for improvement if the NHS is to better understand and support the health needs of mothers in the profoundly life-changing postnatal period.”
