A former member of a government-commissioned review into maternity safety in England has resigned, alleging that criticism of a "normal birth drive" was removed from the final report just days before its publication. Dr. Bill Kirkup told the BBC that the omission of this critique from the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation report was unacceptable, as he believes the push for unmedicated vaginal births can contribute to avoidable deaths and harm.
Kirkup, who previously chaired maternity reviews in Morecambe Bay and East Kent where he found the practice caused harm, stated that investigators had identified evidence of the "normal birth" agenda still being an issue in some places. He described the drive, which encourages vaginal birth without medical intervention and is backed by many midwives, as a "patient safety danger."
According to Kirkup, a version of the report that included criticism of the normal birth agenda was signed off by a significant number of people. However, he claims this critique disappeared eight days before the report's publication. "I don't think it's right that we should push this under the covers," Kirkup said. "This is a patient safety danger and I think it should be called out as such."
The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation report, published on Tuesday, examined care across England and found that women were repeatedly not listened to by maternity services. One of its key recommendations, the appointment of a maternity commissioner to drive improvements, has been accepted by ministers.
Many campaigners expressed surprise that the review concluded the "normal" birth agenda was not a contributory factor to poor maternity outcomes. The Royal College of Midwives had previously advised its members between 2007 and 2017 to encourage women towards vaginal delivery without interventions like pharmaceutical pain relief or forceps, arguing it was better for mothers and babies. However, this practice has been criticized in other reviews for potentially leading to delays in necessary medical attention or caesarean sections, contributing to harm.
Kirkup resigned because he felt the issue needed to be acknowledged due to its implications for the safety of mothers and babies. "I think it needs daylight shining on it and then we can have a proper conversation about why this sometimes happens and how we make sure that it doesn't keep on happening," he stated. He suggested that Baroness Amos, who headed the review, may have "listened to the wrong voices on this particular issue."