Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve support for couples who experience baby loss.

The Government funded the Stillbirths and Neonatal Death charity (SANDs) to work with other baby loss charities and Royal Colleges to produce and support the rollout of a National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP). The pathway covers a range of circumstances surrounding baby loss, including miscarriage, stillbirth, termination of pregnancy for medical reasons, neonatal death and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

As of 1 January 2023, 108 NHS England trusts (84%) have committed to adopting the nine NBCP standards. 21 trusts are yet to do so, and NBCP England continue to push for their inclusion.

A key commitment in the Single Delivery Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Services is investment to ensure the availability of bereavement services seven days a week by the end of 2023/24 for women and families who sadly experience loss.

The Pregnancy Loss Review was launched in 2018 to consider questions on registering and certifying pregnancy loss that occurs before 24 weeks’ gestation and the quality of National Health Service care for women experiencing such losses. The Review is being led by two independent experts. This was paused in 2019 and 2020 but has now recommenced with a view to publishing a report by the end of the year.