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The real reason home-births are backed! - Daily Mail Fri 20th Apr/12

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Makes perfect sense!

Too many immigrants -

not enough hospital beds...

so have it at home!

What about complications....?

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The reason is given in the first article, but.........the REAL reason is in the article below that!     http://uk.news.yahoo.com/study-backs-home-births-mothers-224850115.html   Study backs home births for mothers Press Association –  2 hours 47 minutes ago Related Content Home births for pregnant women who already have children could be the safest and cheapest option, researchers claim Giving birth at home may be the safest and cheapest option for women who already have children, a study has claimed. University of Oxford researchers looked at the circumstances of 64,000 births in England between 2008 and 2010. They found that women at low risk of complications could give birth either at home or a midwifery unit to save the NHS money and was healthy for both the mother and child. The study looked at the relative costs of healthy births in different settings. It found that a planned birth in an obstetric unit is the most expensive option for mothers who already have children, with the mean cost of £1,142 per woman, with a planned home birth the cheapest, at £780 per woman. For women who have not had children before, a planned birth in a midwifery unit would also save money when compared with a planned birth in an obstetric unit, it was suggested. The researchers found that a planned birth at home for such women was also cost-saving, but said it was "associated with poorer outcomes for the baby". Health economist Liz Schroder, a co-author of the study, said: "At the time of the study, only half of the NHS trusts in England provided women with access to a midwifery unit, and occupancy levels were often low. The findings of the birthplace study may encourage women - particularly women having a second or subsequent baby - to request an 'out of hospital' birth. And the potential for cost savings could make offering women more choice an attractive option for the NHS." The study looked at births in obstetric units, midwifery units located in the same hospital as an obstetric unit, free-standing midwifery units and home. They assessed NHS costs associated with the birth, including care during labour, the cost of any stay in hospital, the cost of pain relief and any medical procedures needed in the case of complications. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has previously said that estimating the cost-effectiveness of places of birth should be a priority area for research. The study is published onbmj.com, the website of the British Medical Journal. The Royal College of Midwives said the research paved the way for changes to be made to maternity services in the UK. Deputy general secretary Louise Silverton said: "This and other research points out the substantial benefits of midwife-led care: it is better for mothers and babies, it is better for midwives and it is better for the NHS. However, we are still seeing 96% of births taking place in hospitals and this underlines the need to make a fundamental change in the way we deliver maternity services in this country." A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "As we modernise the NHS we have made it a priority to offer women choices in where they give birth. We want women to be able to talk through their birth plan with their midwife, to find the best option for them." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-444801/Immigrant-baby-boom-puts-NHS-strain.html   Immigrant baby boom puts NHS under strain By DANIEL MARTIN Last updated at 11:31 27 March 2007   Immigrants from the new EU countries poses a 'huge challenge' for the NHS Maternity services are under strain because of recently-arrived Eastern Europeans seeking pregnancy care and abortions on the Health Service, experts have said. Increased demand for these services from immigrants from the new EU countries poses a 'huge challenge' for the NHS, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service said.   The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists called on ministers to address the financial implications of the influx. Official figures show that 579,000 people have come to the UK from Poland and neighbouring countries since they joined the European Union in 2004. In some areas of Britain, as many as one in four women seeking an abortion comes from Eastern Europe. Last December it was revealed that more than 5,000 Polish babies were being born in the UK every year, raising fears of increased costs to the NHS and social security budgets. Ann Furedi, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said: "We are seeing an increase in the number of Eastern European women across the board. It's a huge challenge for the NHS - it's a huge challenge for government ministers. "These groups are entitled to NHS healthcare as they become UK residents, and it is up to the healthcare system as a whole to respond to their needs." A spokesman for the Royal Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said: "We have noticed that there has been an increase in the number of Eastern Europeans accessing services, and it does raise a question about finance. "These women are extremely vulnerable. They are extremely dependent on out-of-hours clinics, and there has been a significant reduction in these because of the financial-problems in the NHS." The NHS as a whole does not collect figures on the country of origin of those who use the NHS. The vast majority of surgeries have no information either. But GPs in Luton say one in four women asking for an abortion is Eastern European. Dr Nina Pearson from the Lea Vale Medical Group, which runs four GP practices in the town, said that in one of their surgeries 400 patients register a month - and 80 per cent of them are Eastern European. Maternity care is 'an area of work that we are struggling to keep up with at the moment'. Dr Richard Vautrey, deputy chairman-of the British Medical Association's GP committee, said clinics had experienced an 'awful lot' of new registrations of people from Eastern Europe. But he said they tended to be fit and healthy young couples and in general were not costing the NHS as much as older people. Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the independent think-tank Migrationwatch UK, said: "This is a vivid illustration of one of the many costs of mass immigration that have been too little examined. "The Eastern Europeans have a right to treatment but the NHS keeps no record of the immigration status of patients and there are no effective checks before they enter the system." Shadow immigration minister Damian Green said: "This is yet more evidence that while immigration can be of real benefit to the country, this is only if it is properly controlled. "The Government must adopt our policy of taking into account immigration's impact not only on the economy but also the public service infrastructure." A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "If people are entitled to NHS services as those from the EU are, they are able to use them. It is important health professionals discuss contraceptive options with their patients."   When injustice becomes law - Rebellion becomes duty