Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Nicholas Winterton (Conservative). It was answered on Tuesday, 30 March 2010 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Maternity Services

Question: I declare an interest as an honorary vice-president of the Royal College of Midwives. ...I am going to deliver. Does the Secretary of State accept that a safe, successful and enjoyable birth is what every woman craves? Does he further accept that midwives are absolutely critical to the care given to a pregnant woman, not just before pregnancy, but during delivery and post-natally? Will he ensure that there are sufficient midwives to provide that quality of service?

Answer: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question and I pay tribute to him in his honorary role with the Royal College of Midwives. I agree wholeheartedly with the way in which he has presented his question. It is crucial to give mothers the best possible support during childbirth. Eighty-nine per cent. of women say that the care they receive during pregnancy and childbirth is good quality, but there is more to do to ensure that that 89 per cent. becomes higher. We are recruiting more midwives. We have had 4,000 more since 1997; we need to recruit more to ensure that this one-to-one support is there. I pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman for the work that he has done.

Secondary information