Bedford women among most likely to get early maternity care

Pregnant women in Bedford are among the most likely in England to get their first appointment with a midwife within the recommended time, figures reveal.

But with far fewer women getting early support elsewhere, the Royal College of Midwives has urged anyone to contact their local services as soon as they become pregnant to get the help they need.

Public Health England data shows 1,575 women in Bedford had a midwife appointment within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy in 2018-19, the latest period for which figures are available.

That was 78 per cent of those who had a first appointment during the year – among the highest rates in the country, although it still means 455 women had theirs later.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which issues official guidance on health care, says pregnant women should see a midwife within the first 10 weeks

It is a chance to identify women in need of extra care due to family circumstances and other social factors, or medical history, and allows a midwife to do important tests and spot risks such as smoking.

Women who have their appointment after 20 weeks risk missing checks on their baby that can identify infectious diseases and other conditions, according to PHE.

Across the East of England as a whole, 37 per cent of women seeing a midwife did not have their appointment in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy – the fifth-highest rate of England’s nine regions.

Nationally, 42 per cent missed the 10-week window.

Lia Brigante, an advisor at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “We urge women to contact their local maternity services or their GP as soon as possible after they find out they are pregnant, so that the midwives can begin to support them with their pregnancy and discuss their care and choices.”

The likelihood of a pregnant woman seeing a midwife within 10 weeks varied widely between areas.

While women in Bedford were the most likely in the East of England to be seen in time, only 47 per cent in Thurrock had theirs within 10 weeks.

Ms Brigante said there could be many reasons why there is wide variation for when women have their first appointment.

She added: “Deprivation and inequality often contribute to this and some women could be unsure about how to contact their maternity services, for example if they recently came to the UK. For women who don’t have English as their first language, this could also be an issue.

“We are also concerned that some women who may be here as new migrants or asylum seekers are worried that they may be charged for their maternity care.”

She said there was a pressing need to target areas where rates were low to raise awareness among local women about their maternity services.