Having a baby in Scotland 2013: Women's experiences of maternity care

Appendix 2 - Comparisons of Scottish results with English results

The following tables provide comparable figures from the Scottish and English maternity care surveys.

Care should be taken when comparing results, as not every difference between the two sets of results will be statistically significant. A general guide would be that differences of 5 percentage points or more are likely to be statistically significant.

Women who responded to the questionnaire

Table 36: Description of survey respondents

Question: What was your age on your last birthday?
	Scotland	England
Under 24	15%	11%
25-34	57%	58%
Over 35	28%	31%
Question: Have you had a previous pregnancy?
	Scotland	England
Yes	58%	59%
No	42%	41%
Question: How many babies have you given birth to before this pregnancy?
	Scotland	England
None	12%	13%
1-2	80%	79%
3 or more	8%	9%

Table 37: Dates and your baby

Question: Did you give birth to a single baby, twins or more in your most recent pregnancy?
	Scotland	England
Single baby	99%	98%
Twins	1%	2%
Triplets, quads or more	0%	0%
Question: What time was your baby* born?
	Scotland	England
Early morning (24.01-6.00)	23%	25%
Morning (6:01 -12:00)	30%	27%
Afternoon (12:01-18.00)	25%	25%
Evening/Night (18.00-24.00)	22%	23%
Question: Roughly how many weeks pregnant were you when your baby was born?
	Scotland	England
Before 37 weeks	7%	7%
37 weeks or more	93%	93%

Antenatal care

Table 38: Early access to maternity care

Question: Roughly how many weeks pregnant were you when you first saw a health professional about your pregnancy care?
	Scotland	England
0 to 6 weeks	58%	53%
7 to 12 weeks	38%	44%
13 or more weeks	4%	4%
Question: Roughly how many weeks pregnant were you when you had your booking appointment?
	Scotland	England
0 to 7 weeks	16%	18%
8 or 9 weeks	35%	42%
10 or 11 weeks	19%	22%
12 weeks	18%	11%
13 or more weeks	13%	8%

Table 39: First health professional seen by pregnant women

Question: Who was the first health professional you saw when you thought you were pregnant?
	Scotland	England
GP / family doctor	60%	63%
Midwife	35%	32%
Other	5%	5%

Table 40: Accessibility of maternity services

Question: During your pregnancy were you given a choice about where your antenatal check-ups would take place?
	Scotland	England
Yes	21%	28%
No	79%	72%
Question: During your pregnancy, did you have a telephone number for a midwife or midwifery team that you could contact?
	Scotland	England
Yes	99%	97%
No	1%	3%
Question: If you contacted a midwife or the midwifery team, were you given the help you needed?
	Scotland	England*
Yes, always	82%	74%
Yes, sometimes	16%	20%
No	2%	3%

*The English Survey also had the option "No, as I was not able to contact a midwife", which accounted for 4%.

Table 41: Continuity of care in antenatal care

Question: Which of the following health professionals did you see for your antenatal check-ups?
	Scotland	England
Midwife	98%	98%
GP (family doctor)	12%	18%
Hospital doctor (e.g. a consultant)	37%	42%
Other	1%	2%

Table 42: Choices where to have your baby

Question: Did you get enough information from either a midwife or doctor to help you decide where to have your baby?
	Scotland	England
Yes, definitely	56%	55%
Yes, to some extent	26%	29%
No	18%	16%
Question: Were you offered any of the following choices about where to have your baby?
	Scotland	England
A choice of hospitals	41%	60%
A choice of giving birth in a midwife led unit or birth centre	23%	35%
A choice of giving birth in a consultant led unit	12%	16%
A choice of giving birth at home	25%	38%
I was not offered any choices	25%	18%
I had no choices due to medical reasons*	13%	-
Question: Before your baby was born, did you plan to have a home birth?
	Scotland	England
Yes	2%	4%
No	98%	96%

*The English Survey did not have this option in their questionnaire.

Table 43: Involvement in decision making for your antenatal care

Question: Thinking about your antenatal care, were you involved enough in decisions about your care?
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	78%	77%
Yes, sometimes	18%	19%
No	4%	4%
I did not want / need to be involved*	1%	-

*The English Survey did not have this option in their questionnaire.

Table 44: Communication in antenatal care

Question: Thinking about your antenatal care, were you spoken to in way that you could understand?
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	88%	88%
Yes, sometimes	10%	11%
No	1%	1%

Table 45: Listened to and given enough time to ask questions

Question: During your antenatal check-ups, were you listened to?
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	82%	79%
Yes, sometimes	17%	19%
No	2%	2%
Question: During your antenatal check-ups, were you given enough time to ask questions or discuss your pregnancy?
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	82%	74%
Yes, sometimes	16%	22%
No	2%	4%

The birth of your baby: section C6 to (Intrapartum care)

Table 46: Support for normal birth

Question: During your labour, were you able to move around and choose the position that made you most comfortable?
	Scotland	England
Yes, most of the time	74%	71%
Yes, sometimes	20%	21%
No, not at all	6%	8%

Table 47: Pain relief in labour and birth

Question: During your pregnancy what type of pain relief did you plan to use when giving birth?
	Scotland	England
Natural methods	33%	34%
Water or a birthing pool	34%	34%
TENS machine	18%	20%
Gas and air	76%	75%
Injection of pethidine or similar painkiller	22%	21%
Epidural	22%	23%
Other*	1%	-
I did not want to use pain relief	5%	6%
I had not decided	10%	9%
Question: Did the pain relief you used change from what you had originally planned?
	Scotland	England
Yes	52%	52%
No	48%	48%
Question: Why did you not use the choice of pain relief that you had originally planned to?
	Scotland	England**
For medical reasons	38%	31%
I changed my mind	18%	16%
I did not need to use this pain relief	8%	9%
There was not time to use my planned pain relief	26%	25%
This pain relief did not work	18%	17%
I was not told why I could not have my choice of pain relief	6%	4%

*The English Survey did not have this option in their questionnaire; **The England Survey also had the options "I was told there were not enough staff to provide my chosen pain relief" (4%) and other (14%).

Table 48: Type of birth

Question: Thinking about the birth of your baby, what type of delivery did you have?
	Scotland	England
A normal vaginal delivery	56%	60%
An assisted vaginal delivery (forceps or ventouse)	14%	14%
A planned caesarean delivery	13%	11%
An emergency caesarean delivery	17%	15%

Table 49: Where did you give birth?

Question: Where did you give birth?
	Scotland	England
On a bed	88%	85%
On a mat on the floor	2%	5%
In a water or birthing pool	6%	8%
Other	4%	2%

Table 50: What position were you in when your baby was born?

Question: What position were you in when your baby was born?
	Scotland	England
Sitting / sitting supported by pillows	19%	18%
On my side	7%	5%
Standing, squatting or kneeling	14%	16%
Lying flat / lying supported by pillows	26%	26%
Lying with legs in stirrups	31%	32%
Other	3%	3%

Table 51: Skin to skin contact shortly after birth

Question: Did you have skin to skin contact with your baby shortly after birth?
	Scotland	England
Yes	90%	90%
Yes, but I did not want this	1%	1%
No	9%	10%

Table 52: Trust and confidence in staff

Question: Did you have confidence and trust in the staff caring for you during your labour and birth?
	Scotland	England
Yes, definitely	83%	78%
Yes, to some extent	15%	19%
No	2%	3%
Question: Were you (and/or your partner or a companion) left alone by midwives or doctors at a time when it worried you?
	Scotland	England
Yes, during early labour	10%	13%
Yes, during the later stages of labour	7%	9%
Yes, during the birth	1%	2%
Yes, shortly after the birth	6%	9%
No, not at all	80%	75%
Question: If you raised a concern during labour and birth, did you feel that it was taken seriously?
	Scotland	England
Yes	84%	81%
No	16%	19%

Table 53: Respect and dignity

Question: Did the staff caring for you introduce themselves?
	Scotland	England
Yes, all of the staff introduced themselves	81%	83%
Some of the staff introduced themselves	17%	16%
Very few or none of the staff introduced themselves	2%	2%
Question: Thinking about your care during labour and birth, were you treated with respect and dignity?
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	88%	85%
Yes, sometimes	10%	12%
No	2%	3%

Table 54: Advice and support from midwives at hospital

Question: At the very start of your labour, did you feel that you were given appropriate advice and support when you contacted a midwife or the hospital?
	Scotland	England
Yes	85%	85%
No	15%	15%
Question: Thinking about your care during labour and birth, were you spoken to in a way you could understand?
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	89%	87%
Yes, sometimes	9%	12%
No	1%	2%
Question: Thinking about your care during labour and birth, were you involved enough in decisions about your care?
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	78%	74%
Yes, sometimes	17%	21%
No	5%	5%
Question: If your partner or someone else close to you was involved in your care during labour and birth, were they able to be involved as much as they wanted?
	Scotland	England
Yes	95%	95%
No	5%	5%

Postnatal care

Table 55: Length of stay

Question: How long did you stay in hospital after your baby was born?
	Scotland	England
Up to 12 hours	11%	17%
More than 12 hours but less than 24 hours	16%	19%
1 to 2 days	36%	37%
3 to 4 days	25%	18%
5 or more days	12%	9%
Question: Looking back, do you feel that the length of your stay in hospital after the birth was...
	Scotland	England
About right	77%	72%
Too long	14%	16%
Too short	10%	12%

Table 56: Care, information and advice in hospital after the birth

Question: Thinking about the care you received in hospital after the birth of your baby, were you given the information or explanations you needed?
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	61%	59%
Yes, sometimes	30%	30%
No	9%	11%
Question: Thinking about the care you received in hospital after the birth of your baby, were you treated with kindness and understanding?
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	67%	66%
Yes, sometimes	28%	28%
No	5%	6%

Table 57: Hospital environment

Question: Thinking about your stay in hospital, how clean was the hospital room or ward you were in?
	Scotland	England
Very clean	69%	63%
Fairly clean	28%	32%
Not very clean	2%	3%
Not at all clean	1%	1%
Question: Thinking about your stay in hospital, how clean were the toilets and bathrooms you used?
	Scotland	England
Very clean	60%	52%
Fairly clean	34%	38%
Not very clean	5%	7%
Not at all clean	2%	2%

Feeding your baby

Table 58: Antenatal information about infant feeding

Question: During your pregnancy did midwives or the midwifery team provide relevant information about feeding your baby?
	Scotland	England
Yes, definitely	68%	61%
Yes, to some extent	26%	30%
No	5%	10%

Table 59: Infant feeding

Question: In the first few days after the birth how was your baby fed?
	Scotland	England
Breast milk (or expressed breast milk) only	49%	59%
Both breast and formula (bottle) milk	21%	21%
Formula (bottle) milk only	30%	20%
Other*	1%	-
Not sure*	<0.5%	-
Question: Did you ever put your baby to the breast (even if it was only once)?
	Scotland	England
Yes	23%	26%
No	77%	74%

*The English Survey did not have this option in their questionnaire.

Table 60: Were your feeding decisions respected by staff?

Question: Were your decisions about how you wanted to feed your baby respected by staff?*
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	82%	81%
Yes, sometimes	15%	15%
No	3%	4%
Question: Did you feel that midwives and other health professionals gave you active support and encouragement about feeding your baby?
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	63%	61%
Yes, sometimes	26%	28%
No	11%	11%
Question: Did you feel that midwives and other health professionals gave you consistent advice about feeding your baby?**
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	57%	54%
Yes, sometimes	27%	26%
No	16%	18%

*The English Survey worded this question slightly different: "Were your decisions about how you wanted to feed your baby respected by midwifes?"; ** The English Survey also had an option "I did not receive any advice" (2%).

Care at home after birth

Table 61: Postnatal care by midwife/midwifery team

Question: Since your baby's birth have you been visited at home by a midwife?
	Scotland	England
Yes	97%	95%
Yes, but I had to contact them to ask them to visit	1%	2%
No, I visited the midwife or saw a midwife in a clinic	<0.5%	1%
No, I was not offered a visit	<0.5%	<0.5%
No, I was visiting or staying near my baby in a neonatal unit (NNU, NICU, SCBU)	1%	1%
No, for another reason	<0.5%	<0.5%
Question: How many times in total did you see a midwife after you went home?
	Scotland	England
1 to 2	9%	25%
3 to 4	50%	53%
5 to 6	26%	16%
7 times or more	14%	6%

Table 62: How often would you have liked to see a midwife?

Question: Would you have liked to have seen a midwife...
	Scotland	England
More often	16%	21%
Less often	3%	4%
I saw a midwife as much as I wanted	81%	75%

Table 63: Accessibility of services at home following the birth of a baby

Question: When you were at home after the birth of your baby, did you have a telephone number for a midwife or midwifery team that you could contact?
	Scotland	England
Yes	98%	97%
No	2%	3%
Question: If you contacted a midwife or midwifery team were you given the help you needed?
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	86%	77%
Yes, sometimes	10%	18%
No	2%	3%
No as I was not able to contact a midwife	2%	2%

Table 64: Women centred care

Question: Did you feel that the midwife or midwives that you saw always listened to you?
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	78%	76%
Yes, sometimes	19%	20%
No	3%	3%
Question: Did the midwife or midwives that you saw take your personal circumstances into account when giving you advice?
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	78%	74%
Yes, sometimes	19%	22%
No	3%	4%

Table 65: Advice and support from midwifes/heath visitors about women's health after the birth of their baby

Question: Did a midwife or health visitor ask you how you were feeling emotionally?
	Scotland	England
Yes	96%	96%
No	4%	4%
Question: Were you given enough information about your own recovery after the birth?
	Scotland	England
Yes, definitely	64%	61%
Yes, to some extent	28%	30%
No	8%	9%
Question: Did a midwife tell you that you would need to arrange a postnatal check-up of your own health? (Around 4-8 weeks after the birth)
	Scotland	England
Yes	93%	91%
No	7%	9%

Table 66: Confidence and trust in midwives/midwifery team after going home

Question: Did you have confidence and trust in the midwives and midwifery team you saw after going home?*
	Scotland	England
Yes, always	78%	71%
Yes, sometimes	19%	25%
No	3%	3%

*The scale for this question was worded differently in the English survey: "Yes, definitely", "Yes, to some extent", and "No".

Table 67: Help and advice in the six weeks after the birth

Question: In the six weeks after the birth of your baby did you receive help and advice from a midwife or health visitor about feeding your baby?
	Scotland	England
Yes, definitely	67%	63%
Yes, to some extent	26%	27%
No	7%	11%
Question: In the six weeks after the birth of your baby did you receive help and advice from health professionals about your baby's health and progress?
	Scotland	England
Yes, definitely	78%	70%
Yes, to some extent	20%	25%
No	2%	5%
Question: Were you given enough information about any emotional changes you might experience after the birth?
	Scotland	England
Yes, definitely	59%	56%
Yes, to some extent	30%	30%
No	11%	14%
Question: Were you given information or offered advice from a health professional about contraception?
	Scotland	England
Yes	92%	90%
No	8%	10%