 News
6th October 2008
Mums in labour denied epidurals due to NHS shortagesHundreds
of women are being forced to give birth without proper pain relief because of
staff shortages at an NHS hospital. Mothers-to-be are being denied epidurals
- which numb the body from the waist down - because of a lack of anaesthetists.
An investigation by the Daily Mail found that the problem at Cumberland
Infirmary in Carlisle has been going on for at least three years. Women
planning to give birth at the hospital, which delivers 1,600 babies a year, are
told no epidurals are available because of a lack of senior anaesthetists. They
are needed because the procedure involves injecting a drug directly into the spine.
The failure flouts guidance from four Royal Colleges, including the Royal
College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians, that women should
have access to an epidural within 30 minutes of requesting one. It adds
to mounting concern about the quality of NHS maternity care, with midwives in
some hospitals expected to attend to three women in labour at the same time due
to staff shortages. Maggie Blott, vice-president of the Royal College of
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said last night: 'An epidural service should
be a routine part of maternity care. 'There will be some women who are
extremely traumatised by not having an epidural, particularly if they have a long
and difficult labour. I would think women who have such labours have psychological
problems afterwards.' She said around 15 per cent of women have labour
induced for medical reasons, using the drug syntocinon to 'speed up' the process.
Some find this makes contractions extremely painful and the normal practice
is to offer an epidural. The percentage equates to around 240 women a year
at Cumberland Infirmary. In addition, up to a third of women having their
first babies can expect a long and more difficult labour and would normally be
offered an epidural. The only choice for these women is to go to the West
Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven. But that is an hour's drive from Carlisle and
not practical for many. Other pain relief is available at the Cumberland
Infirmary but Dr Blott said it would not be as effective as an epidural and may
have drawbacks. The husband of one woman, who had to be induced for medical
reasons, said: 'My wife suffered considerable anxiety before the birth because
she knew she was going to have syntocinon with no epidural. 'We have two
other children, so going to Whitehaven was impossible. In the end she had a labour
of just two hours and coped with the pain, but she was at the limit of what she
could take. It just beggars belief that we can't get basic pain relief.' He
said one exasperated doctor had told a women from India she would have received
better treatment there. The Trust declined to give details about why epidurals
were not provided, but said there were plans to restore the service. Where
to next? | 
