Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to help ensure that all pregnant women are (a) asked about their alcohol intake and (b) supported in reducing and stopping this during pregnancy.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department published a Health Needs Assessment for foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in September 2021, which identified areas of improvement and effective interventions. Subsequently, the Department asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to produce a Quality Standard in England for FASD to help improve diagnosis, care, and awareness, including ensuring that all women are asked about their alcohol intake. It was published in March 2022, and is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs204
The United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines published in 2016 provide clear advice to women not to drink alcohol if they are planning for a pregnancy or are pregnant. This message is also included in the patient information leaflet recommended for use when giving brief advice to any adult identified as drinking above low risk levels, and in the National Health Service public-facing health information pages. The guidelines are available at the following link:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a80b7ed40f0b623026951db/UK_CMOs__report.pdf
The Department is currently consulting on the first ever UK clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment. It includes guidelines setting out how maternity, alcohol treatment and other healthcare professionals should support pregnant women to reduce or stop their alcohol use as quickly and safely as possible. Additionally, the Maternity Disparities Taskforce is producing a resource for pre-conception care for women from minority ethnic communities and those living in the most deprived areas. This guidance will include information on drinking in pregnancy.
Oct. 04 2023
Source Page: Certification of pregnancy and baby loss prior to 24 weeks: leafletFound: Certification of pregnancy and baby loss prior to 24 weeks: leaflet
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what research they have (1) commissioned, and (2) published, on the impact of exposure to air pollution on foetal development during pregnancy.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), formerly Public Health England, contributed to a report by the Royal College of Physicians’ and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health that examined the impact of exposure to air pollution across the course of a lifetime. It states that from the earliest stages of development DNA is susceptible to changes arising from exposure to air pollution. During critical periods of development, any interference can harm organs and tissues or change their developmental trajectory so that their function is impaired. The susceptibility of the development of lungs and the brain to air pollution are highlighted in the report.
UKHSA also provides the scientific secretariat to the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, which is currently preparing a report considering the evidence linking maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy, with preterm birth, low birth weight and stillbirth.
Correspondence Oct. 18 2023
Committee: Health and Social Care Committee (Department: Department of Health and Social Care)Found: Correspondence from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Maria Caulfield MP, on the Pregnancy
Jul. 22 2023
Source Page: Pregnancy Loss ReviewFound: Pregnancy Loss Review
Oct. 04 2023
Source Page: Certification of pregnancy and baby loss prior to 24 weeks: leafletFound: Certification of pregnancy and baby loss prior to 24 weeks: leaflet
Jul. 22 2023
Source Page: Pregnancy Loss ReviewFound: Pregnancy Loss Review
Jul. 22 2023
Source Page: Pregnancy Loss ReviewFound: Pregnancy Loss Review
Written Evidence Oct. 23 2023
Inquiry: The escalation of violence against women and girlsFound: EOV0033 - The escalation of violence against women and girls British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS
Apr. 22 2009
Source Page: Nurse-family partnership programme: first year pilot sites implementation in England for pregnancy and post-partum period. [Undated] 135 p.Found: Nurse-family partnership programme: first year pilot sites implementation in England for pregnancy and