Access to pregnancy care by migrant communities

A new report published by Doctors of the World (DOTW) explored access to pregnancy care by migrant women who presented to DOTW’s drop-in clinic in London between January 2013 and June 2014.  It found that the majority of these women did not yet have a GP, despite being in the UK for on average 4.6 years at the time of delivery. Most were also accessing maternity care later than recommended and had fewer antenatal appointments than recommended, which puts these women at increased risk of pregnancy-related complications. Two of the 35 women who were followed-up lost their babies and in both cases they received a bill for their hospital care.

It is suggested by the report that this is in part due to the deterrent effect of entitlement checks and charging in a population which also has little access to primary care.

RCM chief executive Cathy Warwick said: “We have real concerns that the aggressive pursuit of charging migrant women for medical care may deter them from accessing maternity care. I fear that these women could fall through the cracks and only find their way into the health system when it is too late – if at all…Our view is very clear: midwives should not act as gatekeepers to the maternity services. They owe a duty of care to all pregnant women who seek care from them and they should provide care to all pregnant women irrespective of the woman’s ability to pay.”

Read the full report here

Read the RCM response here