Publication, Part of NHS Maternity Statistics
NHS Maternity Statistics, England - 2021-22
Official statistics
Corrections made to national and provider HES data
Corrections have been made to the following files:
- Summary Report Tables, percentage of deliveries by duration of postnatal stay, Table 7.
- HES NHS Maternity Statistics Tables, number of deliveries where antenatal and postnatal length of stay is unknown. Tables 1.f, 1.g, 2.b; 3.d; 4.d; 5.c and 5.d and aligning time series percentages in Table 1.i to previously published figures.
- HES Provider Level Analysis: Caesarean with postnatal stay 0-3 days, Table G and related columns in the MPDP Flat File tab.
The chart and commentary figures in the 'Method of delivery, and postnatal stay' on the 'Deliveries in 2021-22' page have also been updated.
13 February 2025 17:10 PM
Comparison of Data Common to HES and MSDS
This is the sixth annual report on NHS Maternity Activity which brings together established HES data with data from the MSDS which is a maturing, national-level dataset which has some impact in terms of non-response from providers as they work towards establishing their reporting flows.
In April 2021 the MSDS transitioned to a new version of the dataset. MSDS v2.0 was an update to the previous data set that introduced a new structure and content, including clinical terminology, in order to meet current clinical practice and incorporate new requirements. This is the third publication of data from MSDS v2.0, therefore data from 2019-20 onwards are not directly comparable to earlier years. More information about the changes for MSDS v2.0 can be found here.
This section reports on the similarities and differences in terms of coverage and nature of reported activity between both data sets.
Both the HES and MSDS record some core data about each delivery and pregnancy including method of delivery, onset of labour, gestation at delivery and gestation at the first antenatal assessment / booking appointment.
Comparison of deliveries
The MSDS is a maturing data set and reporting coverage continues to improve. However it does not yet capture as many deliveries as are recorded in HES.
The proportion of deliveries in the MSDS compared to HES was 94.4 per cent in 2021-22.
In 2019-20, the MSDS transitioned to a new version of the dataset, meaning the MSDS data from 2019-20 onwards are not directly comparable to earlier years.
Deliveries by method of onset
The proportion of deliveries for each onset of labour method are different between HES and MSDS, which may relate to the HES data having a greater share of deliveries where method of onset is unknown or missing. Both HES and MSDS show the same most common onset methods of spontaneous and then caesarean.
Last edited: 13 February 2025 5:10 pm