Maternity services in the UK during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: a national survey of modifications to standard care
Open accessAbstract
Objective: To explore the modifications to maternity services across the UK, in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, in the context of the pandemic guidance issued by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and NHS England. Design: National survey. Setting: UK maternity services during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Population or sample: Healthcare professionals working within maternity services. Methods: A national electronic survey was developed to investigate local modifications to general and specialist maternity care during the COVID‐19 pandemic, in the context of the contemporaneous national pandemic guidance. After a pilot phase, the survey was distributed through professional networks by the RCOG and co‐authors. The survey results were presented descriptively in tabular and graphic formats, with proportions compared using chi‐square tests. Main outcome measures: Service modifications made during the pandemic. Results: A total of 81 respondent sites, 42% of the 194 obstetric units in the UK, were included. They reported substantial and heterogeneous maternity service modifications. Seventy percent of units reported a reduction in antenatal appointments and 56% reported a reduction in postnatal appointments; 89% reported using remote consultation methods. A change to screening pathways for gestational diabetes mellitus was reported by 70%, and 59% had temporarily removed the offer of births at home or in a midwife‐led unit. A reduction in emergency antenatal presentations was experienced by 86% of units. Conclusions: This national survey documents the extensive impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on maternity services in the UK. More research is needed to understand the impact on maternity outcomes and experience. Tweetable abstract: A national survey showed that UK maternity services were modified extensively and heterogeneously in response to COVID‐19.
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In the UK, maternity care changes during the pandemic have been consistently monitored and guidance and service provision have been frequently adapted.
“In the UK, these changes have been consistently monitored [23] and guidance as well as service provision has been frequently adapted in an attempt to augment care [5, 21–23].”
From Preliminary findings on the experiences of care for parents who suffered perinatal bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021) · cites this paper as [23]
During the pandemic, there has been a notable reduction of face-to-face care, with an increased reliance on virtual care, or the total removal of maternity care altogether.
“However, during this pandemic, there has been a notable reduction of face-to-face care, with an increased reliance on virtual care, or the total removal of maternity care altogether [5, 6, 23]”
From Preliminary findings on the experiences of care for parents who suffered perinatal bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021) · cites this paper as [23]
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- Authors
- Jardine, J., Relph, S., Magee, L., von Dadelszen, P., Morris, E., Ross‐Davie, M., Draycott, T., & Khalil, A.
- Affiliations
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (GB)
- Department of Women and Children’s Health School of Life Course Sciences King’s College London London UK
- Royal College of Midwives London UK
- St George's, University of London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Khalil, A
- Venue
- BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2020-11-05
- Volume
- 128
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 880-889
- ISSN
- 0306-5456 (ISSN-L)
- 1470-0328
- 1471-0528
- OpenAlex
- W3090823031
- Cited by
- 199
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 39 · 2022: 47 · 2021: 44 · 2020: 3
- FWCI
- 20.34
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- St George's Online Research Archive (St George's University of London) (acceptedVersion)
- LSHTM Research Online (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) (acceptedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › COVID-19 and healthcare impacts
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
- Keywords
- COVID-19 pandemic, obstetric care, prenatal care, postpartum care, teleconsultation, gestational diabetes screening, home birth, midwife-led units, maternity ward
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Appointments and Schedules, Female, United Kingdom, Health Workforce, Hospitalization, Humans, Maternal Health Services, Organizational Innovation, Pregnancy, State Medicine, Practice Guidelines as Topic, Remote Consultation, Health Care Surveys
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