Preterm Birth Committee Report
Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge Excerpts(2 days, 3 hours ago)
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Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge (Con)
My Lords, I begin by paying tribute to my noble friend Lord Patel for his excellent chairmanship of the Preterm Birth Committee, as well as his huge compassion throughout, and to my noble friend Lady Bertin for proposing the subject of the inquiry.
My time on this committee brought one of the most poignant moments of my time in your Lordships’ House, when the committee had the chance to visit a neonatal unit at a local hospital to gain an insight into the plight of babies born pre term and the experience of their families. Even a year on from my visit, the sight of a tiny baby, born at 23 weeks, in an incubator remains in my mind and emphasises to me the importance of bringing about real, positive change for those born too early. I hope that the work of the committee and the report do justice to those who gave evidence and bravely shared their experiences; I also hope that they can be used by government to improve the lives of those born pre term.
I will focus on a few aspects of the committee’s findings. One thing that struck me most during our evidence sessions was the seeming simplicity of some of the interventions, as well as the frustration that great improvements could be made if those interventions were implemented consistently. On perinatal optimisation interventions, we heard specifically that delayed cord clamping can reduce mortality by up to half for preterm babies, yet it has not been implemented consistently. In a recent briefing, the charity Bliss warned that variation in practice remains rife.
Another example that formed part of the committee’s recommendations—this was highlighted by my noble friend Lady Wyld—is the importance of family integrated care, where parents play a key role in their baby’s care. Evidence from Bliss found that this leads to better outcomes for babies, reducing mortality and morbidity as well as requiring fewer days in neonatal care. Despite the great benefits associated with family integrated care, sadly, it is not always possible due to the lack of facilities for parents and access to overnight accommodation. A 2022 study from Bliss found that 75% of parents did not have access to overnight accommodation when their baby was critically ill. On a visit to a local hospital, the committee saw for itself family integrated care in action and was privileged to speak with parents and hear about their experience. I am pleased that, given the committee’s recommendation, the Government have said that they will publish early next year the findings of the maternity and neonatal estate survey, detailing parental accommodation. However, I would be grateful if the Minister could give a better idea of when this will be.
Finally, I wish to focus on the observation made by the committee around research. During an evidence session, I was particularly surprised by the lack of both research and funding for research taking place into the causes of preterm birth. The committee rightly highlighted the need to push for more research into pregnancy and to further our knowledge of the mechanisms of preterm labour. Not only is greater knowledge of this area critical to improving the life outcomes of those who are born too early but, importantly, from a government perspective, the evidence from economic modelling for England and Wales suggests that, if we could delay preterm birth by one week across gestational ages, it would lead to a cost saving of £1.41 billion per year. The British Association of Perinatal Medicine suggested that investment in simple, low-cost interventions will engender longitudinal cost savings in healthcare and education many times over.
I am pleased with the positive response from the Government on the report’s findings, but it is vital that we continue a watching brief, ensuring that commitments are followed through and recommendations are implemented as quickly as possible to improve the lives of babies born pre term in our society so that they can not only survive but go on to flourish.
Self-harm: Young People
Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge Excerpts(1 month, 1 week ago)
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Baroness Merron (Lab)
The noble Baroness is quite right that it is unacceptable that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need. Our determination to change that, as she says, is about rolling out Young Futures hubs in communities. We are at an early stage of developing the plans, and I very much look forward to continuing to work across government to deliver this and to updating your Lordships’ House.
Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge (Con)
My Lords, there has been an alarming number of so-called sextortion cases targeting teenagers who, tragically, have gone on to take their own lives. Are the Government working with schools to tackle the stigma that children sadly feel, and to give them the confidence to report this abuse?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
The noble Baroness makes a very strong observation. The statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education is under review, and we are working closely with the Department for Education on that review. I emphasise again the funding of the multi-centre study of self-harm, whose work is vital in getting to the core of the issues the noble Baroness raises.
Apricity Fertility Closure
Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge Excerpts(2 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the closure of Apricity Fertility on 1 January on the patients who were undertaking treatment with them.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)
My Lords, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority advised the department about the closure of Apricity in December. Apricity did not fall under the HFEA’s regulatory remit, as it was only a digital service. I urge anyone seeking fertility treatment to check that the clinic they are using is HFEA licensed. I advise affected patients in this case to check their consumer rights and engage with trading standards, if needed. More broadly, the HFEA is helpfully providing advice.
Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge (Con)
My Lords, Apricity Fertility advertised itself as:
“The UK’s Top Virtual IVF Clinic”.
As the Minister pointed out, it was not regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which by law can regulate only UK-licensed fertility clinics, which are the premises where treatments take place. Will the Minister commit to a review of the HFEA’s powers to ensure they are appropriate for digital services?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
As the noble Baroness will be aware, in November 2023 the HFEA published Modernising Fertility Law, in which it made a number of recommendations for urgent change, including around its regulatory powers. I will meet the HFEA chair and CEO tomorrow, and we will further discuss the regulatory challenges that the HFEA faces. I assure the noble Baroness that the Government are currently considering the HFEA’s priorities, including its role with digital clinics such as the one referred to, should an opportunity for legislative reform arise.
NHS App: Medical Records
Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge Excerpts(1 year, 5 months ago)
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Lord Markham (Con)
The noble Lord is absolutely correct on getting that balance right between the two; that is why the NHS has a safeguarding reference group on exactly this, which has been putting in protections as well as messaging patients, telling them to be aware and that they have the opportunity to redact their records if they are concerned. There are other features, such as multi-factor authentication and making sure that, for log-in with facial ID, you cannot have anyone else in the picture, to ensure that people are not being coerced. So, there are a number of measures in place, but I completely agree that we need to keep them under review with user groups checking all the way.
Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge (Con)
My Lords, with the abundance of health data available to the NHS, what future technologies are being developed to identify patterns and trends to improve patient outcomes and reduce the pressure on the NHS?