Fewer women have confidence in NHS maternity staff and say they can always access the care they need, new data suggests.
A survey by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) of 18,951 people who used NHS maternity services in February in England found some areas have improved, particularly around women being asked about their mental health.
However, patients reported declining satisfaction in key areas when compared with surveys from previous years.
The results showed a five-year downward trend in the number of people saying they were always able to get help from staff during labour and birth (64% in 2024, down from 72% in 2019) and in those who said they were always spoken to by staff in a way they could understand (85% in 2024, down from 90% in 2019).
Just over half (60%) of people saw or spoke to a midwife as much as they wanted after the birth, but this is also down from 63% in 2023.
Among those saying they “definitely” had confidence and trust in the staff providing their antenatal care during pregnancy, the figure was 70% this year compared with 71% in 2023.
Confidence and trust in staff during labour and birth also fell to 77% from 78%, while after birth it fell to 69% from 72% the previous year.
A quarter (25%) of people felt they did not have the opportunity to ask questions after their baby was born, and only 58% were always given the information and explanations needed in hospital after birth (compared with 60% in 2023).
Elsewhere, fewer people said they always felt listened to by staff providing postnatal care after leaving hospital (75% in 2024 compared with 77% in 2023).
And 14% said staff did not do everything they could to help manage pain during labour and birth.
For the first time, people were asked if they were sent home during labour when they were worried about themselves or their baby – with one in 10 saying they were sent home at least once.
Almost one in five people (19%) said that if they raised concerns during labour and birth, these concerns were not taken seriously.
When it comes to mental health, 76% of people were definitely asked about their mental health during antenatal check-ups, up from 75% who said this in 2023.
Most (93%) people also said a midwife asked them about their mental health during their postnatal care, while more reported receiving mental health support as part of their antenatal care.
Most people surveyed (83%) said that their midwives always listened to them, that they were always spoken to in a way they could understand (88%), and they were always treated with respect and dignity (87%).
In 2024, more people also reported being given appropriate information on the risks associated with an induced labour prior to being induced (74% in 2024 compared with 69% in 2023).
And 63% said someone else close to them was able to stay as much as they wanted in hospital after the birth, up from 56% in 2023.
Nicola Wise, the CQC’s director of secondary and specialist care, said: “We know from our own inspections that there is a variation in quality of maternity services and that further work is needed to ensure high quality of care across the board for all women and their families.
“Increased national action and additional capital investment to support staff to deliver the high-quality care they want to provide for mothers and babies every time should be a priority.
“We hope trusts will reflect on their individual survey results and use them to help identify where they can make changes to ensure positive experiences within maternity care.”
Chief midwifery officer for England Kate Brintworth said: “Mental health support is vital during pregnancy and it’s encouraging that mothers are saying their experiences in this area have improved, and that many are positive about the way they are treated, listened to, and communicated with by our hardworking NHS maternity teams.
“But we know there is much more to do to ensure all women and babies receive high-quality personalised care, and we welcome the findings of this survey, which will help us to build on progress in maternity care, which includes recruiting more than 1,000 additional midwives and rolling out perinatal pelvic health services.”
It comes as NNS England renewed calls for women to come forward for cervical screening, as figures showed more than five million are not up to date with checks.
The NHS Cervical Screening Programme for England 2023-2024 annual report shows 68.8% of 25 to 64-year-olds were screened within the recommended period of time, compared with 68.7% the previous year.
Coverage was higher for 50 to 64-year-olds at 74.3%, compared with 25 to 49-year-olds at 66.1%.
