England's Maternity Injuries Rising as 2025 Safety Target Passes

Serious perineal tears in England have climbed to nearly 29 per 1,000 births as of 2024, up 23% since 2021. The NHS had committed to halving such injuries by 2025—a deadline now passed with the trend moving the opposite direction. The gap widens between trusts, suggesting uneven adoption of preventive techniques. Midwifery staffing pressures and patchy rollout of evidence-based protocols underlie the stalled progress.