NHS Maternity Services Face Criticism Over Undetected Placenta Accreta Spectrum Cases
Intensive care nurse Erin Cooper, from Bedfordshire, required 13 blood transfusions and an emergency hysterectomy after suffering a "catastrophic" haemorrhage during the birth of her son, Milo, two years ago. Doctors subsequently diagnosed her with Placenta Accreta Spectrum (PAS), a condition that went undetected despite multiple bleeds throughout her pregnancy.
Cooper’s ordeal is not isolated. She is one of over 100 mothers calling for immediate improvements in NHS maternity care. These women highlight a profound "dangerous gap" in current provisions, characterised by insufficient specialist training, a lack of mandatory reporting, and the absence of a national database for PAS cases.
Rising Incidence and Systemic Failures
Previously considered rare, the NHS acknowledges a rise in PAS cases, potentially linked to the increasing rate of caesarean sections. Despite this, there is no unified national dataset, with estimates ranging from one in 300 to one in 2,000 pregnancies. This lack of clear data impedes effective policy and resource allocation.
Charlotte Dron, a 42-year-old teacher from Southend, similarly endured a traumatic emergency caesarean in 2018, losing three litres of blood. She was later diagnosed with PAS, requiring extensive counselling and being advised against future pregnancies due to the extreme risk of mortality.
Amisha Adhia initiated the Action for Accreta campaign group earlier this year after experiencing PAS. Her advocacy led the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to commit to revising guidelines, yet Adhia maintains that further action is imperative. "Women and babies are losing their lives," she stated, underscoring the severity of the issue.
Call for National Investigation and Service Review
Dr Chineze Otigbah, an obstetrician who has studied PAS for two decades, confirms the condition’s increasing prevalence alongside caesarean section rates. She advocates for universal screening capabilities in maternity units and improved referral pathways to specialist centres, noting that the system has been "caught on the hop" and remains unprepared.
The Health Services Safety Investigations Body is currently assessing evidence to determine if a national investigation into PAS care is warranted. NHS England in the East has acknowledged the probable link between rising PAS rates and caesarean sections, stating that it is "reviewing the specification for this specialised commissioned service to improve national data collection and access."
Erin Cooper, now living with PTSD, can no longer work in patient-facing roles. She expressed profound anger that her condition was not diagnosed during pregnancy, which could have significantly reduced her risk of haemorrhage. Her experience, and those of many others, expose a systemic failing within a healthcare system that women are expected to trust with their lives.
