HC Deb 08 March 1991 vol 187 cc322-3W
Ms. Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list for the most recent year for England and for each national health service region the percentage of women whose deliveries were (i) at a domestic address, (ii) in a consultant ward of a national health service hospital, (iii) in a general practitioner ward of a national health service hospital, (iv) in a combined consultant/ general practitioner ward of a national health service hospital, (v) in a private hospital, (vi) in another hospital or institution and (vii) elsewhere;

(2) if he will list for the most recent year for England and for each national health service region the percentage of women who had (i) general anaesthesia, (ii) epidural or caudal anaesthesia, (iii) spinal anaesthesia, (iv) combinations of these methods of anaesthesia and (v) none of these methods of anaesthesia during labour or delivery;

(3) if he will list for the most recent year for England and for each national health service region the percentage of women (i) whose labours were surgically induced, (ii) whose labours were induced by oxytocic drugs, (iii) whose labours were induced by a combination of surgical methods and oxytocic drugs, (iv) whose labours were of spontaneous onset and (v) who had elective caesarean sections;

(4) if he will list for the most recent year for England and for each national health service region the percentage of women whose deliveries were conducted by (a) a hospital doctor, (b) a general practitioner, (c) a midwife and (d) a person other than a doctor or a midwife.

(5) if he will list for the most recent year for England and each national health service region the percentage of women whose deliveries were (a) spontaneous, including abnormal presentation of the head and breech spontaneous, (b) instrumental including forceps, ventouse and breech extractions, (c) caesarean sections and (d) by other and unspecified means.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

[holding answer 22 February 1991]: The most recent information available is for 1988–89, the first year for which additional delivery details were collected in the hospital episode statistics system. Following are the national estimates derived from these data; in the case of place of delivery, it has not been possible to provide the precise breakdown requested. The national percentages should be treated as approximate figures and it is not possible to provide reliable regional estimates. Steps have been taken to improve quality and completeness of data which should reduce the level of approximation in later years and enable more detailed breakdowns to be made.

Per cent.
(i) Place of delivery
In an NHS hospital:
In a consultant ward 61
In a GP ward 4
In a consultant/GP ward 33
Other than NHS hospital 2
(ii) Anaesthetic administered
General 7
Epidural or caudal 15
Spinal 1
Combination of the above 1
Other, including no anaesthetic 60
Not known 15
(iii) Method of onset of labour
Surgically induced 4
Oxytocic drugs 8
Combination of the above 6
Spontaneous onset 73
Elective caesarian 5
Not known 5
(iv) Person conducting delivery
Hospital doctor 22
General practitioner 10
Midwife 72
Other 1
Not known 4
(v) Method of delivery
Spontaneous 78
Instrumental 11
Caesarian section 10
Other and unspecified 1
1 less than 0.5 per cent.