Better care needed for disabled women

A Birthrights survey from the University of Bournemouth has revealed that disabled women are perhaps not given adequate support from maternity services.

Of 37 respondents, most stated that their care was positive, yet only 19% felt that reasonable adjustments had been made. A quarter of women commented that they felt that they were less favourably treated as a result of their disability.

Examples of the lack of reasonable adjustments were birth rooms, post natal wards, and maternity notes and scans being ‘completely inaccessible’.

The report further recommends the need for continuity of carer, especially for disabled women, alongside additional and specific training for staff to ensure women’s right and dignity is respected and promoted.

Louise Silverton, RCM director for midwifery, said: “It is deeply disappointing to hear that women with disabilities are not getting the maternity care they need and deserve…The RCM believes that maternity services should treat disabled women like every other woman, while ensuring that the care provided does not ignore or overreact to their specific wishes and aspirations.”

Read the full RCM report on this story here