'Normal birth drive' criticism removed from maternity report, expert claims

A review into maternity safety in England was changed just days before publication to remove criticism of a "normal birth drive", according to a former member of the inquiry team. The campaign, which encourages vaginal birth without any medical intervention and is backed , has been found to have contributed to avoidable deaths and harm in other reviews. But Dr Bill Kirkup told the BBC that similar criticism was removed from the government-commissioned review, forcing him to resign. "I don't think it's right that we should push this under the covers," he said. "This is a patient safety danger and I think it should be called out as such." Asked to respond to his remarks, Baroness Amos refused to comment. The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation report was published on Tuesday. Examining care across England, it found that women were repeatedly not listened to . One of its key recommendations – that the government appoint a maternity commissioner to drive improvements – has been accepted by ministers. Many campaigners were, however, surprised that the review concluded that a "normal" birth agenda was not a contributory factor to poor maternity outcomes. Between 2007 and 2017, the Royal College of Midwives told its members to encourage women to have a vaginal delivery without any medical interventions, such as pharmaceutical pain relief or forceps, for instance. It argued that such a birth was better for women and babies. But its practice – which sometimes encouraged women to stay at home when they needed medical attention or denied caesarean sections – has been criticised in several reviews as contributing to avoidable deaths and harms. Writing last year, the former Health Secretary Sir Jeremy Hunt said that "the language, and the thinking behind it, is still alive." Dr Kirkup chaired maternity reviews in Morecambe Bay and East Kent, and found the practice caused harm in both areas. He has been a long-term critic of efforts to promote normal birth in the health service and said he was "utterly shocked" by Kirkup's claims. "These events raise profound questions about the integrity and independence of the review process. Bereaved families deserve complete transparency," he said, adding that he felt "profoundly betrayed" . As well as the campaign , NHS England used to discourage trusts from performing caesarean sections, encouraging them to limit such procedures to around 20% of birth. It dropped the measure in 2022. However, author and midwife Leah Hazard welcomed the conclusion of the review. Writing on social media, she said: "The Amos review is out and it could not be clearer.