BIRTH CENTRES

Early day motion 1363, tabled 12 January 2006 by Sandra Gidley (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 119 members.

That this House believes women should have choice over where they have their baby, including midwife-led units and birth centres; notes that many women prefer to receive care during pregnancy and labour as close to home as possible; fully supports commitments in the Maternity Standard of the National Service Framework (NSF) for Children, Young People and Maternity Services to provide choice over place of birth; recognises that midwife-led units provide friendly, individualised woman and family-centred maternity care; acknowledges research which shows that for carefully selected, low-risk women, birth centres provide higher normal birth rates and lower rates of medical interventions; further notes that the closure of midwife-led units and birth centres will undermine implementation of the Children's NSFs; in support of these aims; urges the Secretary of State for Health to support the National Childbirth Trust's call for a moratorium on the closure of midwife-led units and birth centres across England and Wales; calls for midwife-led units and birth centres which have been closed temporarily in the past three years to be reopened; and further urges the Government to require primary care trusts and NHS trusts to promote midwife-led units and birth centres to health professionals and the local community to ensure these valuable units are fully used.

Signatures by party: Labour 50, Conservative 31, Liberal Democrat 31, DUP 3, Independent 1, Plaid Cymru 1, Scottish National Party 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.