MPs debate child poverty

In a Parliamentary debate this week, the Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform, Stephen Timms, told MPs that the child poverty unit worked across Government departments as the issue covered so many remits.

The debate was opened by Labour MP Kerry McCarthy who questioned the involvement of many Government departments on the child poverty agenda and said they should be focusing on what could be done locally to achieve the child poverty agenda.

Mr Timms noted that the Government was working to empower local government and to improve benefit provision to assist families in poverty. He went on to say that local authorities needed to consider how their policies impacted on whole families and that a number of local area agreements had been created with the Department for Communities and Local Government so that they could implement flexible policies based on local needs. He also highlighted how £125million of funding had been announced for local pilot schemes to combat child poverty.

Mr Timms also discussed the work being done to improve housing and investments in homelessness prevention. He confirmed that more was being done to make people on low incomes aware that they could be eligible for housing benefit and that the provision of benefits was being discussed with HMRC.

British Medical Association Scotland publishes paper on health impact of smoking and drinking alcohol during pregnancy

The chairman of the BMA in Scotland urges would-be parents to give their child a healthy start in life during the publication of the briefing paper.The paper also highlights how existing health inequalities lead to an increased risk for certain groups of Scotland’s children.

One in every seven babies born each year in Scotland requires some form of special care. Two of the main reasons for requiring this care are premature birth and low birth weight. Smoking and drinking alcohol during pregnancy both increase the risk of these. 25% of women in Scotland smoke during pregnancy, affecting 12,500 babies 55% of women in the UK report drinking alcohol during their pregnancy

Key recommendations in the paper include:

o Attendance at smoking cessation services may present barriers for certain groups – in particular those with young children and those on low incomes – so smoking cessation outreach programmes aimed at reaching such groups should be established.

o Breastfeeding should be promoted for the health of the mother and baby.

o The effects of smoking on breastfeeding should be highlighted.

o Government should issue clear and consistent advice on alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

o The BMA believes women who are pregnant, or who are planning a pregnancy, should be advised not to consume any alcohol.

o Media personalities and celebrities should be aware of their influence on young people, and should not promote or glamorise smoking and drinking.

o Promotion of tobacco and alcoholic drinks, especially through channels directed at young people, such as films, fashion, music and sport should be banned.

Review of maternity services published

The review of maternity services across all 150 Trusts in England by the Healthcare Commission was prompted by a series of investigations in to the deaths of women in maternity units. When publishing ‘Better Births’, which contained conclusions and recommendations from the review, the Healthcare Commission urged the NHS to redouble efforts to improve maternity services by enhancing the quality of clinical care and the experiences of women.

The regulator had carried out three separate investigations into deaths at maternity units during a two-year period. The investigations found recurring issues – such as inadequate staffing and poor teamwork – suggesting a systemic national problem. In addition, maternity services accounted for one in ten requests to the Commission to investigate particular trusts.

In compiling its report, the Commission has for the first time thrown a spotlight on services from the start of pregnancy, through labour and birth, to postnatal care. It has drawn together information from all NHS maternity units in England and conducted surveys of some 5,000 maternity staff and more than 26,000 mothers. The survey of mothers was the largest ever carried out, making the experience of women central to the assessment.

The report says most women have a generally favourable view of services with, for example, 89 per cent rating care during labour as good or better. But there were significant differences between trusts, with this figure being 96 per cent in one trust and 67 per cent in another.

The report identifies aspects of care that were less good, with concerns in antenatal and postnatal services, as well as in hospitals. It points to significant weaknesses nationally that correspond with earlier investigations, particularly in relation to staffing and teamwork.

Commenting on the report Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said:

“This unacceptable level of care must be addressed as a matter of priority. We cannot tolerate a situation where women are regularly being turned away from neonatal units, some with seriously ill or premature babies. Staff shortages are putting midwives under an increasing amount of pressure, and many women around the country are not receiving good enough care. The Government needs to stop burying its head in the sand and launch a national review of capacity in maternity services.”