Thousands of new mothers are readmitted to hospital in England every year, raising new concerns about National Health Service care for pregnant women.
Discharging a woman from hospital early increases her risk of missed birth conditions and can be extremely distressing. If birth injuries or other conditions are not treated until the mother is readmitted to the hospital several days or weeks later, the chances of a full recovery may also be reduced.
A total of 14,630 new mothers had to be readmitted to hospital within 30 days of birth in the last 12 months, equating to 40 per day. In the most recent quarter for which data is available, from April to June 2025, one in 20 new mothers had to be hospitalized shortly after being discharged.
The figures, which do not specify why a woman was readmitted, are only collected in their current form from 2024, making it difficult to compare readmission rates with previous data.
Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrats' health spokeswoman, who obtained the NHS data from the House of Commons library, said the figures were “heartbreaking”.
She also called on Labor to reverse cuts to national service development funding (SDF) for maternity services from £95 million in 2024-25 to £2 million in 2025-26. The fund was set up following the Ockenden Review of maternity services in Shrewsbury and Telford to improve the quality of care for pregnant women.
Guardian Pregnant women in England are at increasing risk, reported Friday be seriously injured during childbirth.
The number of mothers who suffered a third- or fourth-degree perineal tear during childbirth rose from 25 out of 1,000 in June 2020 to 29 out of 1,000 this June – a 16% increase, according to data also obtained by Morgan.
This means that almost 3% of women who gave birth in England during this period suffered serious ruptures. Such injuries damage the woman's anal sphincter and cause long-term pain, birth trauma and incontinence. They can also have a “life-altering” impact on women's overall physical and mental health, causing post-traumatic stress disorder and making them afraid to have another child.
The figures come after serious concerns about the poor quality of care for pregnant women in the NHS prompted Health Secretary Wes Streeting to launch an inquiry into maternity and newborn care and set up a task force to recommend improvements.
Morgan said: “Behind these figures are the heartbreaking stories of women who have suffered unimaginable trauma in a moment that should be full of joy.
“The Conservatives' neglect of maternity services has been inexcusable, putting mothers and babies at risk, but Labor risks leaving action on this issue in the long grass… The Government's investigation cannot be used as a shield against meaningful action being taken now.
“It is unacceptable that while so many women are dying or being injured due to poor maternity care, the government has raided a protected key fund to improve maternity services.
“If the Government is serious about ending the disaster unfolding in our maternity hospitals, it must reverse these cuts immediately, support our hard-working NHS teams and implement all the measures called for in the Ockenden Review without delay.”
Medical bosses have called on NHS staff to ensure every new mother is “thoroughly checked” before being sent home.
Professor Asma Khalil, consultant obstetrician and vice-president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said: “Maternal readmission to hospital can occur for a number of reasons, such as post-partum haemorrhage, infection or complications that develop days or weeks after birth.
“We are also seeing more complex pregnancies, which can lead to a higher risk of complications both before and after birth. Health care providers need to be aware of factors that may increase a woman's risk of readmission and take a holistic, person-centred approach to postpartum care, ensuring thorough checks are carried out before discharge.”
“It is vital that maternity services have the necessary staff, training and equipment to provide safe, personalized and compassionate care for every woman and baby.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Giving birth can be an incredible moment in a woman's life, but injuries, including perineal tears, can leave mothers deeply traumatized.
“This Government inherited an ineffective maternity care system, which is why we have launched a rapid national inquiry into pregnancy and childbirth, are setting up a national task force and are continuing to build perinatal pelvic health services to reduce the rate of perineal ruptures.
They said that statements about cuts in budget funding for 2025-2026 are erroneous. “Total funding has increased by £26 billion and local NHS systems have been given the freedom to spend money to best meet the needs of their local community, with the government requiring them to report on whether they are delivering better outcomes for patients.”
