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 reduce the rate of stillbirth and neonatal deaths, where the mother has recently lived or is living in temporary accommodation.

The Government is committed to improving outcomes for women and babies from vulnerable and underserved groups, and through the Tackling Child Poverty Strategy has committed to ending the practice of discharging newborn babies into bed and breakfasts or other unsuitable shared accommodation through the Child Poverty Strategy. The Tackling Child Poverty Strategy is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696646bc99fbdc498faecd98/child-poverty-strategy.pdf

All women are offered personalised care and support plans, and Enhanced Midwifery Continuity of Carer teams are prioritised for women in the most deprived 10% of neighbourhoods to provide more holistic support and to help reduce inequalities in outcomes.

More widely, we are taking action to reduce the rate of stillbirth and neonatal deaths. All National Health Service trusts are implementing the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle, which provides maternity units with detailed guidance and a package of interventions to reduce stillbirths, neonatal brain injury, neonatal death, and preterm birth.