Alice's blog...

Birth statistics in Cornwall 2010 / 2011

Posted on

 

Location  Type
Births per year

Normal birth rate* Induction rate

Caesarean rate

Instrumental delivery rate Epidural available? Birth pool provided?
Royal Cornwall Hospital (Treliske) Consultant-led 3700 38.5% 22.4% 22.2% 13.5% Yes No
Penrice Birthing Centre Midwifery-led 350 95.9% <2%     No Yes
Helston Birth Unit Midwifery-led 60 >91%       No Yes
St Mary's Hospital (Isles of Scilly) Midwifery-led 4         No No
Homebirth Midwifery-led 182         No No buy/hire


*A normal birth is one that avoids the following, according to the Maternity Care Working Party:

  • induction of labour (with prostaglandins, oxytocics or ARM)
  • epidural or spinal
  • general anaesthetic
  • forceps or ventouse
  • caesarean section
  • episiotomy


The table doesn't cover local data on the intervention rates (induction, instrumental delivery, caesarean etc) of births that transferred into hospital from a midwifery-led setting.
However, recent data from all NHS trusts in England found that women planning a birth in a freestanding MLU experienced a 17% intervention rate, and women planning a homebirth experienced a 10% intervention rate (compared to those who planned a hospital birth, who experienced an average 40% intervention rate).


2011 data provided by Birth Choice UK, Dr Foster Health and the Birthplace in England study