A quarter of full-term babies who died of oxygen starvation during labour might not have died if they had been born in office hours rather than at night or at the weekend. How can this be happening? A baby's life should not rest on whether or not they are born in office hours.
The numbers of deaths due to oxygen starvation in labour is a good measure of the quality of care on a labour ward. An asphyxiating baby needs to be spotted quickly and responded to rapidly in order to prevent severe harm. This can only happen if the right staff with the right expertise and access to the necessary facilities are immediately available.
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