A RISE in stillbirths have been blamed on a lack of face-to-face appointments in the first Covid wave.
This comes after a coroner determined that at least five deaths were caused by remote GP consultations.
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A probe into 37 stillborn cases by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch found key pregnancy checks were hindered by the slashing of in-person appointments last year.
The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch also discovered that doctors could not access medical records correctly, which meant that midwives and medics were less prepared to spot potential fatal complications and monitor the growth.
After stillbirths increased after labour began, the HSIB was notified and the investigation began.
The baby was believed to have been alive at the time of labour, but was still born 37 weeks later with no signs or symptoms.
Most deaths were caused by placenta problems that impeded blood flow to the baby.
One case was where the mother was too scared to attend an appointment.
The babies were dead on their 19th hospital visit. Eleven of the mothers had called for help, and were told to stay home.
The tragic 45 stillbirths occurred, which is a significant increase from the 24 in 2019.
Although none of the women who lost babies to Covid were affected by it, the report revealed that changes due to the pandemic could have had an impact on their care.
The report also revealed that Covid-safe policies requiring women to attend their check-ups by themselves could have meant that crucial communication about babies might not have reached them, especially if English was not the mother’s first language.
The HSIB report said: “The proportion of consultations undertaken remotely is not known and the impact of remote consultations is not clear…
“However, there was evidence that remote consultations impeded certain activities.
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“Specifically, there were fewer opportunities for physical examinations to be carried out, limiting the opportunity to establish trends for [growth] measurements.”
Dr Mary Ross-Davie, director of professional midwifery at the RCM, said: “While this report doesn’t reflect the full national picture it is nonetheless devastating for the women and their families who have lost their babies…
“The RCM has been clear in its advice throughout Covid-19 that its crucial women attend in-person appointments with their midwife so observations such as blood tests and foetal growth can be measured.”
An NHS spokesman added they were “committed to providing safe, compassionate maternity services”, with face-to-face appointments offered to anyone with concerns during pregnancy.
Last week Greater Manchester senior coroner Alison Mutch sent five reports to health authorities – including local trusts, Health Secretary Sajid Javid and NHS England – requesting they take action on remote appointments, aHealth Service Journal(HSJ) investigation found.
Mr Javid stated that “everyone can understand why GPs couldn’t give access in the normal manner during the heights of the pandemic.”
“But we are way past that now, life is starting to return almost back to completely normal and as that is happening it should be happening in our GP surgeries too, and more GPs should be offering face-to-face access. We intend to do a lot more about it.”
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