Health Secretary Andrew Lansley promised a series of measures to improve maternity care in May, including offering women one named midwife to oversee their care during and after pregnancy and better support for those with postnatal depression.
But a Royal College of Midwives (RCM) survey of 1,800 women carried out in July found two thirds of women do not know the name of their midwife and a third said they always saw a different midwife throughout the pregnancy.
Support for women was also questioned, with a fifth of those surveyed feeling unsupported during labour and birth, and only 65 per cent feeling supported after the birth.
Half of those surveyed believed they received emotional support after the birth.
Lansley pledged to improve parents’ choice of where they give birth, but just 44 per cent of respondents were offered the choice of a home birth and 36 per cent were asked if they wanted to give birth in a midwifery-led unit. Twelve per cent of those who were not offered a choice were told it was due to a lack of midwives or facilities.
RCM chief executive Cathy Warwick said: “The government says it is committed to providing better maternity care and we endorse the pledges they have made. However, actions speak louder than words and this survey shows there are many challenges ahead to ensure their promises are delivered across England.
“It throws up many areas of concern and highlights the pressing need for sustained investment in maternity services and in midwives.”
Midwife shortages emerged as a concern for those surveyed, with 47 per cent saying they would have liked more time with their midwife during pregnancy.
A previous survey of midwives by RCM found 88 per cent were not able to give women all the care and support they needed.
London is among the worst affected areas, where almost six out of ten women always see a different midwife and a similar proportion have not received any emotional support after birth from NHS services.
Those in the Midlands, the North East and Yorkshire are the most likely to have a named midwife, the survey also found.
The government has pledge to increase funding for midwifery training and says that 5,000 nurses are currently in training to join the profession.
But the RCM says many of these will replace retiring midwives and says 5,000 extra midwives are needed to ensure government pledges are met.
