(2) what proportion of births were home deliveries in (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2007-08;
(3) how many maternity beds there were in England in (a) 2000 and (b) 2008.
The Office for National Statistics publishes home birth statistics. The latest available data are for the calendar year 2007 and can be found in Birth Statistics, Series FM1, table 8.1.
The information in the table is summarised as follows.
Number of women giving birth at home Total number of women giving birth Percentage of women giving birth at home 2000 12,803 598,580 2.1 2001 12,115 588,868 2.1 2002 12,697 590,453 2.2 2003 13,590 615,787 2.2 2004 14,506 633,728 2.3 2005 16,501 639,627 2.6 2006 18,100 662,915 2.7 2007 19,594 682,999 2.9 1 The figures provided show the number and percentage of women who gave birth at home i.e. home maternities, rather than the number of babies born at home. A maternity is a pregnancy resulting in the birth of one or more live-born or stillborn babies. Source: Office for National Statistics
The numbers of planned home births that resulted in a hospital delivery are not collected centrally.
The average daily number of available maternity beds in England was 10,203 in 1999-2000, 9,767 in 2000-01 and 8,441 in 2007-08. This period has seen shorter hospital stays and a growth in maternity day assessment units, where women at high risk can be monitored during the day but are able to return home at night.
Source:
Department of Health form KH03