Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce pre-eclampsia in pregnant women.

Hypertension or high blood pressure during pregnancy (known as pre-eclampsia) is the most common medical problem that is encountered in pregnancy. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance, 'Hypertension in pregnancy: diagnosis and management', is aimed at healthcare professionals and women who develop hypertension during pregnancy. The guidance aims to improve care during pregnancy, labour and birth for women and their babies.

Most clinical activity relating to pre-eclampsia is focused on diagnosing the condition as early as possible and managing the condition when it has been identified. NHS England expects providers of maternity care to pay due regard to NICE guidelines on diagnosing and managing pre-eclampsia. These are set out at:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg107

The Maternity Transformation Programme led by NHS England is working to improve maternity services by 2020/21. It seeks to implement the recommendations of ‘Better Births’ (the report of the National Maternity Review) and ensure that maternity services across England become safer, more personalised, kinder, more professional and more family friendly. The programme aims to reduce health inequalities and ensure all women have access to high-quality maternity care wherever they live in England. In particular, the programme is working to ensure women are in good health before, during and after pregnancy so that families get off to the best possible start. It will do so through a range of interventions including improving preconception care and supporting positive health and wellbeing choices in pregnancy to reduce risk factors.