Last week, the House of Commons debated the incredibly moving topic of baby loss. A number of colleagues spoke eloquently of their first-hand experience as bereaved parents.
I am glad that the Government has listened to the points made across all parties, and committed to improving the support and care available for babies, parents and families, both to help prevent mortality where possible, and to improve bereavement services and support for when bereavements occur.
The Government has announced a major package of measures focusing on maternity and the care offered to mothers and babies. The Ministers have set an ambition to halve the rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries that occur during or soon after birth by 2030.
Since 2010 there has been a 13% reduction in stillbirth rates, and an 8% reduction in neonatal death rates in England. This is a welcome reduction, but there is still more to be done. Our stillbirth rates remain among the highest in Western Europe and we spend £1.5 billion each year on litigation costs after errors have been made. Tragically, many on the front line say we fail to learn from mistakes when they are made because there is still too much of a blame culture when things go wrong - often caused by fear of litigation or worry about damage to reputation and careers.
The Government has announced a number of new measures to help continue to drive progress on this important matter. A campaign called “Launching Our Chance”, developed in partnership with the charities Sands and Best Beginnings, will spread information to help women and their families understand the crucial risk factors and the lifestyle changes they can make to have the healthiest possible pregnancy.
Two expert national maternity safety champions will be appointed, and an £8 million Maternity Safety Training fund will be set up, to help improve training in maternity services, and improve patient care. A number of schemes will also be set up to ensure that, when the NHS makes a mistake, families will get quick and suitable redress, and clinicians will be able to learn from what went wrong to help prevent similar mistakes occurring again. Families deserve the highest standards of care in every part of the country, and we will only deliver this through installing transparency and learning across the NHS.