A lack of cots in neonatal intensive care units is placing pregnant women and their babies at risk as they are moved to other hospitals, a report indicates.

Fresh research seems to prove that women placed in this situation - and their babies - fare less well than those cared for in their "home" unit.

Women at high risk of a difficult birth need to be treated in a hospital with a special care cot available so that a premature or sick baby can be supported.

However, if no cot is available as the time of delivery approaches, then the woman must be transferred to another hospital which has one - sometimes some distance away.

The Clinical Standards Advisory Group, which sets standards for doctors, already says this is "not good practice".

Stillborn

Now a study, published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, indicates clearly a gulf in outcomes between "transfers" and those who are treated in one place.

The researchers, from the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, looked at data for 242 mothers over a period of just three months.

The government should publish these recommendations... before any more babies die needlessly or are born prematurely at motorway service stations

Bengie Walden, Bliss

The women studied had been transferred out of their perinatal centre while in premature labour or because they had an illness which meant their babies had to be delivered early.

Some had to be taken on to a third hospital because no cot was available at the second.

Many ended up having their child in a hospital not recognised as a specialist perinatal centre.

On average, each of these had to travel for at least 35 minutes before reaching the next hospital.

One mother gave birth during transfer - in a motorway service area - and a further nine within one hour of arrival at their destination.

One mother died after delivery, and a further 7% of those transferred needed intensive care.

Six babies were stillborn, and the majority were taken into neonatal intensive care.

'Intolerable'

Bengie Walden, chief executive of the premature baby charity, Bliss, said: "It is unacceptable that 258 mothers in a three month period who were either at risk themselves or at risk of premature birth had to be transferred from their specialist perinatal centre to another hospital the because of lack of resources.

"That some of these mothers were transferred to a third hospital is intolerable".

"We support the British Association of Perinatal Medicine's plea for a commitment to uphold standards in perinatal care as an NHS priority

"The government should publish these recommendations on clinical practice standards in perinatal care now before any more babies die needlessly or are born prematurely at motorway service stations."

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "We welcome the research published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, which shows the need to address and improve on current practice.

"There have been significant improvements in neonatal care, but there is still work to be done.

"We are investing an extra �100m to make improvements to over 200 maternity units. Ministers are considering options to reconfigure neonatal intensive care services."