A national online survey of UK maternity unit service provision for women with fear of birth

In the UK, fear of birth (FoB) is considered a valid reason to request an elective caesarean section, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2011) provided guidance in respect of women with a FoB requesting operative delivery. However, it was not clear how many maternity units in the UK offered support for women in line with this guidance. Consequently, a national online audit survey was undertaken to determine current service provision in maternity units. Hence in 2013, 202 maternity units were surveyed over 9 weeks; there was a 63% (n=128) response rate. It was evident that 47.3% (n=52) of all units did not offer specialist support for women with FoB. However, where support was available, this varied from the benchmark recommendation for referral to a consultant obstetrician (NICE, 2001) to specialist midwifery clinics and psychological support services. Overall, the survey revealed that care pathways for FoB had not been widely implemented in the UK.