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Preventable Baby Loss
04 September 2024
Lead MP
Lee Anderson
Ashfield
Reform
Responding Minister
Karin Smyth
Tags
NHSEmployment
Word Count: 12925
Other Contributors: 10
At a Glance
Lee Anderson raised concerns about preventable baby loss in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
Anderson asks the ministerial team to acknowledge and address the preventable deaths highlighted by his constituents. He requests that the government ensures the NHS has the necessary support to reduce baby loss through improved training, better communication protocols, and prompt corrective measures based on the Ockenden report findings in Nottingham.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
According to the Royal College of Midwives, every day in the UK, 1,845 babies are born alive and there are between 302 and 428 miscarriages. Additionally, eight stillbirths occur each day with 145 premature births and five neonatal deaths. Lee Anderson highlighted specific preventable cases of baby loss experienced by his constituents in Ashfield, including the stories of Rob and Emma Stretton (Olivia), Bianca Chapman (Imiza), Amelia Bradley (Theo), and Hayley Moore, all of which involved hospital errors or inadequate care leading to tragic outcomes.
Andy MacNae
Lab
Rossendale and Darwen
He thanked the hon. Member for Ashfield for securing the debate and shared his personal experience as a father who lost a child. He highlighted stark statistics, including that up to one in five stillbirths and neonatal deaths are preventable but progress has stalled since 2015. MacNae emphasised racial disparities, with black babies more than twice as likely to be stillborn compared to white babies. He urged the new Government to support actions from baby loss charities to deliver positive care for all ethnic groups. Additionally, he pointed out that nearly a third of neonatal intensive care unit shifts are not properly staffed and over half of maternity services were rated inadequately in 2022-23.
Carla Lockhart
DUP
Upper Bann
She thanked her hon. Friend for his powerful speech and mentioned a little boy named Teddy from her constituency who died from sudden infant death syndrome at seven weeks old. She emphasized the need for better wraparound services in hospitals, including rooms made available for families dealing with such tragedies, along with support, counselling, and help throughout their grief journey. Carla Lockhart commended Jim Shannon's real-life story and suggested replicating efforts from England on baby loss certificates in the devolved regions, particularly Northern Ireland.
Caroline Johnson
Con
Sleaford and North Hykeham
Caroline Johnson highlighted the unpredictability of birth and the importance of ensuring a healthy outcome for both mother and child. She acknowledged the efforts of NHS colleagues and charities in preventing baby loss, mentioning the Government's consultation on fortifying flour with folic acid to reduce the number of babies suffering from a folic acid shortage during pregnancy. Johnson also questioned the continuation of essential public health communication strategies amid the Chancellor's restrictions on communication costs.
Gregory Campbell
DUP
East Londonderry
He highlighted the need for greater resources and a better understanding of the individualistic nature of dealing with baby loss, noting that no two families will react in the same way.
Helen Morgan
Lib Dem
North Shropshire
Ms. Morgan briefly intervened to express her support for constituents suffering from baby loss, emphasizing the importance of telling their stories in Parliament to ensure they are heard. Morgan highlighted the scandal at Shrewsbury and Telford hospital NHS trust, noting similar issues in other trusts like Morecambe Bay and East Kent. She stressed the importance of safe staffing levels on maternity wards to prevent unnecessary baby deaths, learning from mistakes, transparency with families, and addressing disparities for ethnic minority women.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Jim Shannon highlighted the impact of preventable baby loss, citing personal and constituency examples. He emphasized the importance of support for families experiencing such losses and underscored the need for greater resources to reduce pregnancy loss rates in Northern Ireland.
Lizzi Collinge
Lab
Morecambe and Lunesdale
Ms. Collinge spoke about the importance of local support groups like Matilda's Mission and the Tigerlily Trust, which provide various forms of support for bereaved parents and families. She raised concerns over funding issues affecting these organizations and highlighted the need for timely NHS referrals and consistent care.
Nigel Farage
Reform
Clacton
Mr. Farage discussed the difficulty in talking about stillbirth and its impact on families, particularly women who have experienced it. He mentioned his own family's experience with stillbirth and highlighted the importance of support for those affected.
Olivia Blake
Lab
Sheffield Hallam
Olivia Blake highlighted the personal and societal impact of preventable baby loss, noting that one in two people will be affected by it during their lifetime. She emphasised the need for better mental health support and bereavement leave, as well as improved early intervention care and research funding. Blake also mentioned that 13 babies die every day before, during or shortly after birth, with up to a fifth of those deaths potentially preventable if guidelines were consistently followed. Additionally, she criticised the three-miscarriage rule for basic tests and urged the Government to adopt alternative models of care such as the graded model which offers support after one miscarriage.
Sharon Hodgson
Lab
Washington and Gateshead South
She shared her personal experience of baby loss, highlighting the trauma of giving birth to a stillborn child and the lack of official recognition for her daughter's existence due to administrative policies. She praised the work of the all-party parliamentary group on baby loss and the pregnancy loss review that led to certificates being issued for parents who lose babies before 24 weeks in England. However, she noted that more needs to be done to address regional inequality, ethnic disparities in neonatal mortality rates, and maternal healthcare disparities. She called for better training and support for healthcare professionals and an increase in the midwifery workforce.
Government Response
Karin Smyth
Government Response
The Government acknowledges that preventable baby loss remains a serious issue. The Minister highlighted the Ockenden review, which showed widespread avoidable harm and death due to poor care, inadequate training for staff, and governance failures. She outlined several initiatives including a three-year NHS plan to deliver recommendations, the Saving Babies Lives care bundle, equity action plans targeting deprived areas, and a £50 million funding call by the National Institute for Health and Care Research to tackle maternity inequalities. The Minister also mentioned internal perinatal mortality reviews and independent investigations to ensure lessons are learned from tragic events. She committed to doing everything possible as a Minister to help deliver safer and fairer services for women and their babies.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.