Complaints at maternity units have steadily risen in the last four years, official figures have revealed.
Since 2009 there have been 120 serious untoward incidents in the maternity departments at the Epsom and St Helier Trusts, according to data released under freedom of information laws.
The figures also show there have been 13 serious untoward incidents this year alone.
Serious untoward incidents:
Complaints about maternity care
In 2004/5 there were just eight complaints about the trust’s maternity departments but by 2012/13 the complaints had steadily risen to 47 complaints.
A spokesperson for the Epsom and St Helier Trust said: "It’s important to note that only a very small proportion of the people that we care for have reason to complain about our service.
"in fact, the 47 complaints that we recorded and dealt with in maternity last year equates to just 0.9 per cent of the total number of people who were cared for there."
The spokesperson also pointed to a "significant" increase of 17.6 per cent more people being cared for by the maternity unit since 2004, while patients are "actively encouraged" to tell the hospital when their care falls below expectations.
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