The impact of the establishment of a midwife managed unit on women in a rural setting in England.
OBJECTIVE
to determine what impact the changes from consultant-led care to midwife-led care in a local maternity service have had on women using that service.


METHODS
case study, data were collected by postal questionnaire, semi-structured, tape-recorded interviews, observations and scrutiny of records.


METHODS
a small town in rural England.


METHODS
all pregnant women eligible for a midwife-managed unit (MMU) birth in a small rural town in England.


RESULTS
the women using the MMU were satisfied with the care they received and the MMU style of care. Women giving birth at the MMU and at home required less pain relief and were more likely to have an intact perineum than a similar group of women giving birth in hospital. Continuity of carer did not appear to be an issue for women as long as they felt supported by a known team of midwives. Transfer for complications during the birthing process was a cause for anxiety and stress for women and their partners. Women, whilst satisfied with the MMU, would prefer the consultant-led maternity hospital to be re-established in the town. The home-birth rate rose by 28% when the consultant unit closed.


CONCLUSIONS
while the establishment of a midwife-managed unit has provided increased choice for a minority of women, the removal of the consultant unit in the town has disadvantaged the majority of pregnant women. While guidelines are needed when establishing these units the application of restrictive inclusion and exclusion criteria can sometimes force women to make less appropriate birth choices.
Watts
Kim
K
Academic Division of Midwifery, Postgraduate Medical Education Centre, University of Nottingham, City Hospital, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, England, NG5 1PB, UK. kim.watts@nottingham.ac.uk
Fraser
Diane M
DM
Munir
Fehmidah
F
D016362:Analgesia, Obstetrical / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006700:Home Childbirth / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008880:Midwifery / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000458:organization & administration; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data