Fewer NZ Women Satisfied with Pregnancy Care

The newly released Health Ministry Maternity Services Consumer Satisfaction Surveys contain several concerning results:

There has been a dramatic drop in the satisfaction levels of women with their care during pregnancy, compared with the last consumer satisfaction survey in 2007 (96% down to 87%).

There is a much higher rate of women forced to leave hospital before they feel ready to following birth. In 2007 one woman in seven was discharged before she felt ready to go home. In this survey, one woman in five has to leave hospital before feeling ready to go home.

Once home, the care for women remains substandard for more than a quarter of all women. More than one woman in four receives less than her minimum entitlement of postnatal visits.

There are several important areas omitted from this satisfaction survey which were contained in earlier surveys. For example, up to one-third of women in some areas had difficulty finding a midwife to care for them in 2007 survey. We don’t know how many women experienced access problems this time as the question was not asked. The same goes for information on breastfeeding success.

As a result of AIM’s 2009 submission to the Health Select Committee (available on our website), we are pleased to see that for the first time, the Health Ministry has sought the views of bereaved women. It is vital that these people finally have a voice in how to improve maternity services. However we are concerned that more than one in three bereaved women was not given enough information or explanation about why their baby died.

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