Shropshire caesarean rate is the lowest in England

Caesarean section birth rates in Shropshire were the lowest in England over the past 12 months, a new NHS report revealed today.

The study for 2010/11, published by the NHS Information Centre, reveals the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust is bucking the national trend with a c-section rate of just 15.3 per cent.

It comes despite figures for the procedure rising by more than 5,000 nationally.

At the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Princess Royal in Telford and hospitals in Oswestry, Ludlow and Bridgnorth, there were 757 caesareans, with 481 being emergency procedures.

It means the county figures, which have dropped by 0.6 per cent from the previous year, remain well under the national average of 25 per cent. Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London has the highest caesarean rate of 36.4 per cent.

Health chiefs at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust put the success down to having an environment which encourages natural childbirth and using a wide range of strategies to keep caesarean deliveries low.

Cathy Smith, head of midwifery at the trust, said: "We try and have a department wide ethic of natural childbirth and employ all the techniques in maternity care that are recognised by national bodies for reducing the caesarean section rates."

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) this week criticised the report and said caesarean section rates were still too high and that more one-to-one care was needed for women before and after birth.

Louise Silverton, deputy general secretary of the RCM, said: "We are concerned that the caesarean section rate remains high. It is a surprise that the highest caesarean rates are in London.

However, the variation in rates between similar units needs explanation."It is worrying to see that the caesarean rate has remained stable at 25 percent in 2010-2011, compared to 25 per cent in 2009/2010, despite initiatives aimed at reducing caesarean section."

It comes after new guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) last month which revealed that all pregnant women who ask for a caesarean procedure will now be allowed one, even if there is no medical need.

Every procedure costs the NHS up to £2,700 and studies suggest reducing the number of elective c-sections by just one per cent would save Britain £5.6 million per year.