 News
26th February 2007
Pregnant diabetics getting poor service
A new report has attacked the quality of care given to diabetic women
before and during pregnancy.
The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health said NHS diabetic
services are 'poor and uncoordinated' after finding that many women were
not given advice about controlling their condition before getting pregnant,
despite government guidelines laid out in 2001.
CEMACH investigated 521 case notes from pregnant diabetics
and found that less than half of them were taking necessary nutritional
supplements, such as folic acid.
A similar number also received no pre-conception counselling
regarding their control and diet.
The researchers found a basic lack of knowledge in treating
pregnant diabetics, and over a third of hospitals did not have multi-disciplinary
diabetes ante-natal teams, as set out in the 2001 guidelines.
Dr Jo Modder, CEMACH's clinical director, said, "This report
provides clear evidence that women with diabetes are not being empowered
to prepare adequately for pregnancy, and that health professionals are
often not providing the appropriate information and care."
Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said,
"We need to work together to ensure that women with diabetes and people
involved in their care are well equipped and are taking all necessary
steps to minimise risks."
Dr Sue Roberts, the government's national clinical director
for diabetes, added, "We are committed to ensuring that risks during pregnancy
for women with diabetes are minimised.
"The recommendations in this report make a valuable contribution
to the care of women with diabetes who are pregnant."
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