§ 26. Mr. ConnartyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the "Changing Childbirth" Government document on the role of midwives and the level of Caesarian births. [81834]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Department has made no formal assessment. However, information on elective and emergency caesarean section deliveries by Health Authority and individual hospitals is set out for the first time in the statistical bulletin "NHS Maternity Statistics, England: 1989/90 to 1994–95". This information has strengthened the local audit process. A copy of the bulletin is available in the Library. On the role of midwives, we know from Changing Childbirth pilot project reports that there has been a significant change in midwives' working patterns in both hospitals and the community to ensure that women receive continuity of care in their preferred environment whenever possible.