The inquiry found new mothers had been left on blood-soaked sheets for hours, berated by midwives, or in one case been dismissed as an "anxious mother" when her baby later died from complications that she was warning about.
Monday 13 May 2024 05:33, UK
Good care for pregnant women "is the exception rather than the rule", a landmark inquiry has said.
A parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma has found there was "shockingly poor quality" in maternity services, which resulted in care that lacked compassion and a system where "poor care is all too frequently tolerated as normal".
The inquiry's report is set to be released later this morning and was first reported by The Times.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The report also found that women were "treated as an inconvenience" and errors were covered up by hospitals that "frustrated parents' efforts to find answers".
Victoria Atkins, the health secretary, said that the experiences uncovered in the report were "harrowing".
The Times reported that the inquiry found new mothers had been left on blood-soaked sheets for hours, berated by midwives, or in one case been dismissed as an "anxious mother" when her baby then later died from complications that she was warning about.
The report calls for a new maternity commissioner who will report to the prime minister.
Each year, around 30,000 women will suffer a negative experience before, during or after delivery.
In 2011, Sarah Embleton suffered a serious birthing tear which was missed by doctors for more than a yearleading to complications.
"I was in a lot of pain a lot of the time because obviously things that healed by themselves in a way that they shouldn't have done, she told Sky News.
"So, urgency, not being able to hold in, needing to go to the loo, that sort of physical side was pretty horrendous."
Read more from Sky News:Women 'failed at every stage' of maternity careMother left with injuries after giving birth breaks 'silence'Grieving parents demand nationwide guidance after failings
Be the first to get
Install the Sky News app for free
Sky News footer
