Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department plans to update NHS antenatal and maternity guidance, in the context of emerging evidence that extreme heat exposure can elevate risks to pregnant people and unborn children.

The Department and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recognises that there are risks caused by exposure to extreme high temperatures which are set out in the Adverse Weather and Health Plan Equity Review and Impact Assessment 2024. This includes an assessment on stillbirth, pre-term birth, and maternal health complications.

UKHSA provides a weather-health alerting system for England, which alerts the public, including specific vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, and public sector organisations to prepare for impacts of adverse weather, including high temperatures. Risks to health are communicated via heat-health alerts.