The cost to the NHS of providing maternity services for foreign-born mothers has risen to more than £350 m a year. According to figures reported by the BBC, record levels of immigration have pushed the cost up by £200 m in the past ten years. The rising birth rate is said to have caught the Department of Health by surprise and some maternity wards have been forced to close their doors to expectant mothers.
Commenting on the report, Dame Karlene Davis, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “The Royal College of Midwives believes that all women should be given access to maternity care in this country, irrespective of their immigration status.
“The key issue here is ensuring that all women who use maternity services get a high quality of care. Some of these women require more of the midwives’ time because of language problems, cultural issues and long-standing health problems leading to more complicated pregnancies. Midwives want to give them the best possible care, as they do with all women, but the continuing shortage of midwives means this is becoming increasingly difficult.”
