Key facts:

• Approximately 600 000 women give birth in the UK each year - at least 1-in-3 women will experience a birth that is traumatic in some way (which equates to an estimated 225,000 mothers a year). This is not an isolated problem - it forms part of the concerning broader decline in UK women’s health (the UK has the largest gender health gap of the G20 nations)

• In 2023, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated almost two-thirds (65%) of English maternity services as either “inadequate” or “requires improvement” based on the safety of care (up from 54% in 2022)

• According to the recent Birth Trauma Inquiry report (a summary of key recommendations can be found here), the NHS currently faces a maternity negligence bill of £21 bn

• Suicide remains the leading cause of death in women between six weeks to twelve months postpartum

• “Shocking” figures released in August 2024 by the Child of the North research group found that infant mortality rates in the UK are also rising - better resourced maternity care was identified by researchers as being a vital part of any response