Freedom of Information Request ID
6745
Date of response
June 2021
How many maternal request caesareans were carried out in your Trust between April 2019 and April 2020 with no other significant medical, obstetric or psychological indication?
Medway NHS Foundation Trust regret are unable to respond to this question with assurance as it is unlikely that our data will be reliable in this area as only a summary record is kept of the indication and a narrative indication is more likely to be appropriate in the case of “maternal request” Caesarean sections. For example, it is difficult to formally exclude psychological components of patients’ requests in the antenatal clinic
What were the total number of caesarean sections carried out in your Trust between April 2019 and April 2020?
3380
Please confirm how your Trust complies with the revised NICE guideline [NG192] in relation to Maternal Request for Caesarean Birth points 1.2.25 – 1.2.31 – published March 31 2021
The Trust complies with this guidance within the consultant led antenatal service and has access to perinatal mental health services, anaesthetic clinics and consultant staff second opinions when indicated.
Do you have an explicitly stated policy not to offer Maternal Request Caesarean Sections (MRCS) in your Trust?
No
Do you have a written guideline for Maternal Request Caesarean Sections (MRCS) in your Trust? If yes, please provide a copy of the written guideline
No
Do you require a compulsory mental health appointment in order for a Caesarean Section to be offered?
No
Do you have a policy which states the number of weeks into pregnancy the decision for a Caesarean Section would be made? If yes please state number of weeks
No
Are there any other conditions which must be met in order to be offered a Maternal Request Caesarean Section in your Trust? If yes, please provide a copy of the conditions
It is the expectation that any woman undergoing Caesarean section has been seen by a senior obstetrician experienced in the counselling of women regarding mode of birth. No other “conditions” apply. The Trust neither actively promotes nor actively denies access to Caesarean birth for women choosing to book for maternity care here. The Montgomery principles of promoting the autonomy of women to ask questions about all aspects of maternity care are applied.
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