Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress (a) his Department and (b) the NHS has made since February 2017 on preventing and reducing neonatal sepsis.

The NHS England and NHS Improvement Maternity and Neonatal Safety Improvement Programme works with every NHS maternity and neonatal service in England, to support a culture of continuous learning and better multi-professional working.

The programme provides structured support for local teams to develop innovative plans for measurable improvements. This includes improving the early recognition and management of deterioration with suspected sepsis in mothers and babies, during or soon after birth.