A quarter of women "abandoned" during birth

By Andrew Hough

LONDON (Reuters) - One in four women giving birth in NHS hospitals are being left alone during labour, in clear contravention of official guidelines, a health watchdog said on Tuesday.

Thousands were abandoned during childbirth, the Healthcare Commission said in a survey of 26,000 women. Many had been frightened as a result.

Campaigners say the country is suffering a chronic shortage of midwives which has hit services.

A fifth of the women surveyed said toilets and bathrooms in their wards were filthy while thousands more were left hungry.

Giving birth was more painful, too, because they were in the wrong position. many said. Widely varying practices were also revealed among the 148 NHS trusts across the country.

"The results do highlight specific areas of concern and wide variations with issues including postnatal care, communication, food and cleanliness," the commission's chief executive, Anna Walker, said in a statement.

The report comes ahead of a wider investigation into maternity services that the commission is expected to publish next year.

Anne Milton, the shadow health minister, said the survey showed "serious problems with the government's maternity strategy".