National results - Published December 2025
Most of the women who responded to the survey had an overall positive maternity experience. In total, 83% of participants said that they had a good or very good overall experience.
The highest-scoring question for this stage of care related to being treated with respect and dignity. The lowest-scoring question for this stage concerned the communication about pregnancy care between the maternity service and the GP.
The highest-scoring question related to the involvement of a partner or companion during labour and birth. The lowest-scoring question related to opportunities to ask questions about labour and birth, shortly after the birth.
The highest-scoring question for this stage of care related to information provided before discharge about who to contact if worried about participants’ own health or baby’s health after leaving hospital. The lowest-scoring question related to having a healthcare professional to talk to about worries and fears while in hospital after birth.
Of the participants with experience of the neonatal unit, 75% rated the experience of care their baby received as ‘very good’; 18% rated the care in the neonatal unit as ‘good’ and 7% rated the care in the neonatal unit as ‘fair to poor’.
The highest-scoring question about infant feeding was whether participants felt their decisions about feeding their baby were respected by healthcare professionals. The lowest-scoring question related to the support and encouragement provided by healthcare professionals for feeding the baby at home in the days and weeks after birth.
The highest-scoring question for this stage of care related to being treated with respect and dignity in the care received at home or in the community after birth. The lowest-scoring question related to the time the GP spent talking about physical health and recovery at the postnatal check-up, six weeks after birth.
The highest-scoring question for this stage of care related to being treated with respect and dignity. The lowest-scoring question for this stage concerned the communication about pregnancy care between the maternity service and the GP.
The highest-scoring question related to the involvement of a partner or companion during labour and birth. The lowest-scoring question related to opportunities to ask questions about labour and birth, shortly after the birth.
The highest-scoring question for this stage of care related to information provided before discharge about who to contact if worried about participants’ own health or baby’s health after leaving hospital. The lowest-scoring question related to having a healthcare professional to talk to about worries and fears while in hospital after birth.
Of the participants with experience of the neonatal unit, 75% rated the experience of care their baby received as ‘very good’; 18% rated the care in the neonatal unit as ‘good’ and 7% rated the care in the neonatal unit as ‘fair to poor’.
The highest-scoring question about infant feeding was whether participants felt their decisions about feeding their baby were respected by healthcare professionals. The lowest-scoring question related to the support and encouragement provided by healthcare professionals for feeding the baby at home in the days and weeks after birth.
The highest-scoring question for this stage of care related to being treated with respect and dignity in the care received at home or in the community after birth. The lowest-scoring question related to the time the GP spent talking about physical health and recovery at the postnatal check-up, six weeks after birth.
Explore the results in greater detail in the interactive results section.
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Download 2025 report