A report from the BBC advises that the NHS Acupuncture Service for pregnant women in Plymouth is to be withdrawn after 25 years with the reason cited as lack of funding.
However officials there are known to have also questioned the effectiveness of acupuncture for pregnant women – even though the patients who have actually been treated say it is a vital source of relief for alleviating the most severe form of morning sickness, hyperemesis gravidarum.
“I was really sick with my first pregnancy. When I fell pregnant again the sickness kicked in much quicker.
“I spoke to my midwife who referred me to the acupuncture department at Derriford. It was so worth the wait.
“The clinic was on a Friday and for the first time that weekend I didn’t feel as ill as I had been feeling. It was the only thing that worked.”Sarah Bridge
“It is a debilitating form of pregnancy sickness. Eventually it can end up with you in hospital on a drip.
“The thing with hyperemesis, if you catch it early on you can treat it proactively and that’s what the acupuncture service can do.
“It can stop it from getting to the point where you require hospitalisation.”Kerry Dungay
According to a representative of the Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Sue Stock, less than 1 percent of women utilised the Acupuncture Clinic and that they needed to focus their resources on the needs of a wider selection of families. She confirmed that the Derriford Midwives themselves would all continue to be employed for their midwifery skills.
But Sarah Budd, a retired midwife acupuncturist, said:
“I am absolutely devastated that this service is being closed down.
“It has been running for 24 years in Plymouth. Over 8,000 women have been treated successfully. I am just appalled it’s being stopped.”
