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Camden New Journal - by ROISIN GADELRAB
Published: 12 July 2007

Melanie Every

Hospital delivers, say midwives

LEADING midwifery experts have jumped to the defence of the Royal Free’s labour ward after it emerged patients make just 25 complaints each year.
The statistics were released to the New Journal under the Freedom of Information Act and show the hospital received 152 complaints between April 2001 and June 2007.
The figures were published following the inquest into the death of baby Riley Croft, who died followed a series of errors made by midwives at the hospital.
Now experts from the Royal Colleges have leaped to the defence of the hospital, which beat 152 others to come runner-up at the National Childbirth Trust Better Birth Awards in 2005.
Last year 3,260 babies were delivered at the Hampstead hospital, including 27 sets of twins.
Midwife Melanie Every, from the Royal College of Midwives, said: “If you’ve got 25 complaints a year out of 3,000 births that’s only a very small percentage which means all the others are reasonably happy.
“People do complain more easily in labour wards.
“Often it’s around labour or around what’s perceived to be a lack of care. One of the things women will complain about is being left alone while in labour.
“The ideal situation is one-to-one care but sometimes midwives are having to look after two or three women at once.”
Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, agreed, adding: “On average it’s 25 a year. That means one in every two weeks. Unless we know about the nature of the complaints it’s difficult to say whether or not the numbers are large. Mothers will complain that wards are dirty or the water isn’t running, for example.
“At St George’s [his hospital] the complaints are usually that the midwife didn’t attend or discharged the patient too early – it might not be medical.”
A Royal Free spokeswoman said: “In 2006, more than 3,200 babies were delivered at the Royal Free hospital.
“We have two user groups that meet every month where we listen to feedback from our clients and their families in order to adapt and further improve our service. We take any complaints very seriously.
“Our maternity unit underwent a £3 million refurbishment in 2003. It comprises a midwife-led birth centre and an obstetrician-led labour ward, allowing women and their clinicians to chose the type of delivery which best suits their needs.”
Riley Croft, the son of BBC journalists Iain Croft and Heather Paterson, died of asphyxia on Good Friday in March 2005 after midwives failed to notice his heart rate had dropped.
Last month a jury found Riley died of natural causes due to neglect..

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