Maternity Services

What happens in pregnancy, birth and the early weeks of life is of the utmost importance to all of us. Are women's needs being met and are they satisfied with their experiences of the maternity services? This inquiry sets out to answer these questions.

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What happens in pregancy, birth and the early weeks of life is of the utmost importance to all of us. But are women's needs being met? Are they satisfied with their experiences of the maternity services? The Health Committee was stimulated into conducting this inquiry by suggestions that all is not well and that many women are dissatisfied with some aspects of the service they receive. It reviews the processes which have led to the present pattern of maternity care and looks at the evidence received from women themselves and from organizations representing them about what they want from the maternity services of the NHS. It considers how the services can be organized to marry the needs and desires of women and their families with the views of the professions, and recommends steps to be taken to achieve that goal.