Birth statistics for 2023 and 2024 (FOI)

​​Request 692901650

Please could the maternity department provide the following statistics for the years 2023 and 2024:

1) Total percentage of births via emergency/unplanned caesarean section

2) Total percentage of births via planned caesarean section 

3) Total percentage of women whose labours were induced artificially (via Propess, Prostin, Cook balloon or artificial rupture of membranes)

4) Total percentage of women who went into labour spontaneously with no induction or intervention

5) Total percentage of babies born via assisted birth (i.e. ventouse or forceps)

6) Total percentage of babies born via spontaneous vaginal birth

7) Total percentage of waterbirths

8) Total percentage of homebirths

9) Total percentage of babies born on labour ward/within consultant-led rooms

10) Total percentage of babies born within the midwifery-led birthing rooms

11) Total number of vaginal breech birth

Many thanks

Response

Data for 2023 and 2024 are provided in the attached table. Information has been extracted from hospital records and categorised according to NHS definitions and national reporting methodologies: 

Maternity Data 2023 - 2024.pdf​

Notes are included in the table to identify instances where requested information is exempt under Freedom of Information legislation:

Note 1

Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied in respect of information which is published in the Health and Care Jersey Quality and Performance Reports on www.gov.je. These datasets are also included in the Health and Care Jersey Advisory Board papers. Links to published data are provided below:

Health and Care Jersey Quality and Performance Reports

Health and Care Jersey Services Board​

Note 2

It is not possible to report data for water births / pool births from the Electronic Patient Record system. Whilst this information would be documented within the clinical notes of an individual’s medical record, significant manual interrogation of individual case notes would be required to identify the requested information. Performing such manual examination of records available and collating any relevant data would exceed the timescales prescribed in the Freedom of Information (Costs) (Jersey) Regulations 2014. Therefore, Article 16 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

Note 3

Fewer than five deliveries from January 2023 to December 2024 are recorded as vaginal breech deliveries. As numbers are small, disclosure control is applied to protect individuals from identification, and an annual breakdown is not provided. Article 25 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law has been applied to protect the privacy of individuals.

​Articles applied

Article 16 - A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations.

Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.

Article 25 - Personal information

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018.

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018; and

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law.​