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The NHS is paying for hundreds of expectant mothers to be sent abroad to
receive maternity care, according to figures uncovered by the Liberal
Democrats.
Official figures show that 269 women were sent back to their birth
country for maternity care in 2006 – accounting for three quarters of
the treatments which the NHS sent abroad that year.
The exact cost of sending these women abroad last year are unknown but
data from the pilot scheme to send NHS patients abroad suggested that
the costs are comparable to the cost of having treatments done in the
private sector.
Patients were also referred for overseas treatment for a variety of
other treatments including speech therapy, hearing aids and blood tests.
Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman
Lamb MP said:
“These figures shed light on this unknown but seemingly widespread
practice, and raise a number of questions.
How much is all this costing? Previous schemes suggest this could be
more costly than standard NHS care. Are we paying over the odds at a
time when midwives are concerned about money for new staff and training?
Is this safe? Travelling when heavily pregnant can be risky for the
expectant mother. Yet, the NHS is encouraging pregnant women to do just
that.
The Government must be clearer about the reasons and costs
for sending patients abroad for treatment.”
Notes
1. A parliamentary answer to Norman Lamb showed that:
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The NHS paid for 357 treatments abroad in 2006
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269 women were sent by the NHS to be treated abroad for maternity care
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The highest number of referrals were to
France
and
Germany
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Unusual procedures done abroad last year:
Austria
: Removal of screws
Belgium
: Annual check for heart transplant
Finland
: Blood test
France
: Urine test/injection, steroid injection, ‘Consultation’
Germany
: Speech therapy, provision of hearing aid
Poland
: ‘Accident’
The full list can be found here:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070726/text/70726w0024.htm#07072712007539
2. A Health Select Committee memoranda in Janurary 2004 showed that 477
patients had been sent abroad up to that date at a cost of almost £3.5
million:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmhealth/1108/1108m14.htm
3. A Parliamentary Question in 2002 said that the prices for these
procedures are commercially confidential. However, they are comparable
to the prices charged for individual operations in the
United Kingdom
private sector:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/vo020312/text/20312w55.htm#20312w55.html_sbhd6
4. With maternity services: a private delivery costs around £7000. 269
treatments would amount to over £1.8 million.
The cost of a private birth:
A first birth at the
Portland
Hospital
in
London
costs £2,880 for a normal delivery and £3,790 for an elective
caesarean for the first 24 hours of care, including the delivery.
Additional nights in a standard room cost around £1,000. You also have
to allow for the fees charged by your private consultant obstetrician,
which might be £3,000-£4,000. So, in total, a private birth at a
hospital such as the
Portland
could cost £7,500 to £10,000. There will be some saving if you opt for
a ‘Midwife led Delivery Service’ or ‘Midwife Led Care’. In this
instance, you will still have a named obstetrician, but he or she will
see you less often, and the birth may be supported by an on-call
Consultant Obstetrician.
5. Midwifery
services are struggling to keep up with the rising birth rate according
to a May 2007 survey by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). Staff cuts
were reported by 12% of respondents, with an average of 1.5% of staff
being lost. The survey also showed a drop in the recruitment of newly
qualified midwives, with an average of 6.9 taken on this year, dropping
from 8.3 in 2005. Budgets remain a major problem with a third reporting
that they have seen reductions this year, with the average level of cuts
running at 2%.
http://www.rcm.org.uk/news/pages/newsView.php?id=292
(6/8/07)
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