§ 7. Dr. Vincent Cable (Twickenham)If he will make a statement on the change in the proportion of babies born by Caesarean section in the last five years. [26366]
§ The Minister of State, Department of Health (Jacqui Smith)The proportion of babies born by Caesarean section has risen gradually over the past five years. To help set standards on the use of Caesarean sections, the Department commissioned the national Caesarean section audit. The findings will form the basis of clinical guidelines to be issued by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the development of the national service framework for children.
§ Dr. CableDoes the Minister share the assessment of the Royal College of Midwives that the number of operations at present—approximately double the level considered safe by the World Health Organisation—is unnecessary, unwanted, a major drain on NHS funding and a risk to mothers? If she does share that assessment, why are the Government not moving more urgently to reverse the trend?
§ Jacqui SmithI think that I explained that the Government are moving urgently. There is no clinical consensus about the right level of Caesarean sections. Through NICE, we will be able to develop guidelines that mean that instead of focusing on overall levels we are able to ensure that the advice and the service that any individual woman receives, whether a Caesarean section or other forms of delivery, is appropriate. It is right that, building on the work that the Department has already done in gaining information, we now develop guidelines to ensure that the processes are appropriate for each woman. Alongside that, I am sure that the Royal College of Midwives recognises and appreciates the extra investment that the Government are putting into maternity services and into increasing the number of midwives available to support women.
§ Ms Julia Drown (South Swindon)The Minister has spoken of the advice that parents should be given. The pregnancy book given out to parents-to-be says that the Caesarean operation is "safe", rather than pointing out that it is still a major operation and spelling out the risks, as the risks associated with other forms of childbirth would be spelled out. Will the Minister ensure that the guidance 738 is looked at again, so that parents-to-be can be told about the risks associated with what is, as I have said, still a major operation?
§ Jacqui SmithAs I told the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable), I think the information that individual women receive is crucial. Some of it will be given during discussions that they have with their obstetricians, and some will be published. One of the important jobs for the maternity component of the national service framework for children will be ensuring that the information we provide for women is available to them, so that they and their clinicians can make the best choices in each case.
§ Mr. David Tredinnick (Bosworth)Would not one way of reducing demand for Caesarean operations be to increase the supply of acupuncturists? At Derriford hospital in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for South-West Devon (Mr. Streeter), only 7.5 per cent. of babies are delivered by Caesarean.
The working group on herbal medicines established by the Minister's Department, under Professor Pittilo—[Laughter]—not my right hon. Friend the Member for Kensington and Chelsea (Mr. Portillo). The working group will be looking at the regulation of acupuncture. Does that change in Government strategy represent original thinking?
§ Jacqui SmithWe wondered who would get the alternative medicine question today—but the hon. Gentleman makes an important point about the good work that is going on at Derriford hospital. When I visited a Walsall hospital maternity unit, I saw interesting work going on there as well. Midwives are being trained to use complementary therapies; indeed, more midwives are being trained throughout the country to use such therapies, and use them when appropriate.
The remit of the working group under Professor Michael Pittilo—this is not, as some thought, a new job for one of the hon. Gentleman's colleagues—will be to present proposals to make self-regulation statutory for practitioners of herbal medicine, and proposals to revise provisions in the Medicines Act 1986 relating to the administering of such medicine. The group's recommendations will form a basis for wider public consultation before proposals are finalised and put to Parliament. I have no doubt that the hon. Gentleman will follow developments with the assiduity with which he follows all such matters.