A new national maternity safety campaign launched today warns that UK women are at rising risk of catastrophic haemorrhaging during childbirth due to dangerous gaps in NHS care.
The ‘Action for Accreta’ campaign warns that the UK is falling behind other countries in identifying and preparing for Placenta Accreta Spectrum (PAS), a life-threatening pregnancy complication linked to rising c-section and IVF rates.
The campaign has been launched by Londoner Amisha Adhia, a mother of two, who survived the condition during her second pregnancy four months ago. One doctor, outside her care pathways, decided to take the necessary precautions. This action likely saved Amisha, and her daughter Ishaani’s life.
PAS occurs when the placenta grows too deeply into the wall of the womb during pregnancy. When doctors attempt to remove the placenta after birth, a woman can haemorrhage within minutes. Undiagnosed cases can quickly lead to an emergency hysterectomy or death. The risk is particularly high for mothers giving birth a second time, having had a c-section in their first childbirth. With c-section births now outnumbering vaginal births in England for the first time, experts warn more and more UK women are at elevated risk.
Worryingly, current NHS guidance on the condition grossly underestimates the number of women potentially affected, citing rates estimated as low as 1 in 2,000. International research from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) says PAS may now affect around 1 in 272 pregnancies. Meanwhile, the NHS continues to follow outdated guidelines, maintains no national registry of PAS incidents, operates no mandatory reporting requirement of the condition when found, and no single dataset showing how many women are affected each year.
As a result, the NHS continues to sleepwalk into potential disaster for mothers across the country currently unaware of the potential risk they face.
A personal story of near-tragedy that sparked the campaign
During her second pregnancy in 2025, Amisha Adhia was repeatedly told by multiple NHS trusts and specialist centres that there was a “99% chance” she did not have placenta accreta.
Dr Chineze Otigbah, from Barking Havering, Redbridge University Hospital Trust, was the one consultant conscious of the potential risks and willing to challenge prevailing thinking around the condition. Dr Otigbah planned the delivery on the assumption that PAS could not be ruled out. After birth, hospital tests confirmed what she had suspected: Amisha had a severe form of the condition.
“I genuinely thought I was going to die,” said Amisha. “I was told I was safe. But when everything started going wrong, there was no plan.” “I wrote letters to my husband and son thinking I would not be here. But then I tore them up. Sealing the letter meant accepting defeat. I chose to fight and survive for my husband, son and future daughter.”
Dr Otigbah said: “When I looked at Amisha’s scans, I could not ignore the red flags. If there is doubt in a pregnancy like this, you plan for the worst because the cost of being wrong is a mothers and baby’s life. We need a system that supports that mindset, not one that defaults to reassurance.”
Within weeks of giving birth, Amisha began connecting with other women through online support groups to understand how often PAS was being missed. More than 40 families from around the world, including the UK, Canada, America, and Australia, came forward with similar accounts of late-detected or undiagnosed cases.
Amisha has since submitted vital evidence to the ongoing national maternity investigation led by Baroness Amos and launched the Action for Accreta campaign, aimed at raising awareness of the condition and the risks posed to mothers.
Where the UK lags behind
In England, clinical guidance on PAS is dictated by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). The current guidelines were last updated in 2018, and campaigners argue it does not sufficiently account for atypical presentations of PAS. These are cases where the placenta is not low-lying and therefore may not trigger heightened monitoring – as Amisha had.
Recent Parliamentary Questions, submitted by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, Helen Morgan MP and Preet Kaur Gill MP, have confirmed that the Department of Health and Social Care does not have national oversight of one of the most dangerous obstetric conditions. They do not hold a national database of PAS cases, they do not centrally record who has received PAS training, and have no current plan to introduce mandatory national training.
Campaigners say this leaves the UK without a clear picture of how common the condition truly is and without consistent preparation across maternity units.
A critical policy moment
The campaign launches at a time of heightened scrutiny of UK maternity services. Baroness Amos’ national investigation remains underway, and updated RCOG guidance is expected in the coming month. Amisha argues this represents a rare opportunity to address systemic blind spots in clinical guidance and care before the next set of national standards are fixed for years to come.
The campaign has secured backing from eight major maternal health charities and patient safety groups, in addition Tommy’s and Sands, who issued this independent supporting statement with their shared commitment for evidence based policy reform for maternal safety:
“Improving the identification, understanding and prevention of serious pregnancy complications depends on better data, stronger research, and listening to families’ experiences. Action for Accreta is helping to highlight important gaps in awareness, surveillance and learning. As the Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit, we support efforts that bring together evidence and lived experience to inform policy and improve maternity safety.”
Further support is from Birth Trauma Association Birthrights, Make Birth Better, Mama Academy, AIMS, White Ribbon Alliance UK, Delivering Better and Placenta Awareness UK.
What Action for Accreta is calling for
Action for Accreta makes a series of recommendations for clinical and policy reform.
First, track the problem properly: introduce national recording of PAS cases so policymakers understand the true scale.
Second, update guidance and training: revise RCOG standards to reflect modern evidence and ensure clinicians are trained to identify atypical cases.
Third, ensure every maternity unit is prepared: with clear escalation pathways and haemorrhage readiness protocols, even where PAS is not initially suspected.
“If we don’t count it properly, we can’t fix it properly,” said Amisha. “This is about making sure the UK is not the country that looks back and realises the warning signs were there. I do not want any more women being reassured into danger”
The campaign is not calling for blame. It is calling for practical reform.