Select Committee on Health Written Evidence


APPENDIX 10

Memorandum by Elizabeth Key

SUMMARY

  A leaflet produced by mothers and health professionals to increase awareness of choices in maternity care in Lancashire failed to achieve its objectives through lack of support from the NHS, GPs in particular.

  1.1  am making this submission on an individual basis since the organisations concerned have either been abolished or are about to be abolished. As a member of the North West Lancashire Maternity Services Liaison Committee and convenor of its Information Sub Group, I was very concerned at our failure to disseminate basic information on choices in maternity care to local women.

  1.2  I have sent hard copies of the leaflet by post for the committee's consideration. More can be supplied if necessary.

  2.1  The "Choices for Maternity Care" leaflet was produced by the Information Sub-group of the North West Lancashire Health Authority Maternity Services Liaison Committee in 2001. It was drafted by a small group of local midwives and mothers in order to provide factual, research-based and accessible information for women in the HA area. The leaflet was assessed in accordance with DISCERN guidelines and reviewed by a wide group of service users. As the HA was unwilling to fund production costs (under £400) this was undertaken by the Community Health Councils in the area. It was only because I was a member of the Preston CHC that the leaflet was eventually produced and distributed.

  2.2  Distribution was organized by volunteers to cover clinics, pharmacies and GP surgeries. It proved impossible to use HA resources for this since none of the PCTs would support the leaflet: the GPs were "not happy" with the wording (though unable to supply specific examples or alternatives). Only one of the four local maternity units agreed to supply a copy to every mother booking in there. This unit continues to do so.

  2.3  The leaflet was revised and reprinted in March 2002, financed by two local CHCs. Again PCTs were unwilling to help with distribution although one enterprising Health Visitor organized supplies for the health clinics in one PCT area. There is, unfortunately, no prospect of updating the leaflet at present.

  2.4  Parts of the text (including the section on home birth) were used by the commercial organisation "Health Channel", which supplies health promotion videos for GP surgeries. In this way the non-local information reached a nation-wide audience in 2001.

  3.  Despite the low-key and factual nature of the leaflet, even the mention of "home birth" and the emphasis on the role of midwives were enough to ensure that GP opposition prevented women from exercising choice, or even knowing that they did have a choice.

RECOMMENDATION:

  If the stated intentions of the NHS Plan to provide prospective parents with unbiased, evidence-based information on choices for maternity care in their local area, steps must be taken to ensure that censorship is not exercised at PCT or Acute Trust level.

June 2003






 
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