Highlighting Stillbirth And Maternity Services In Parliament

Henry Smith has parliamentary event in the House of Commons, organised by Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, for the launch of their new report, Preventing Babies’ Deaths: what needs to be done.

Approximately 6,500 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every year in the UK. The charity’s report proposes that 1,200 babies’ lives could be saved every year through a combination of more research, better care and greater awareness of the risks of stillbirth and newborn baby death.

Henry commented:

“From personal experience I know the pain of stillbirth and so am keen to highlight that even in this day and age 17 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day in the UK. Of course these deaths have a devastating impact on parents and their families, and therefore I fully support Sands in their call for urgent action to prevent baby deaths in the future.

“Though advances in neonatal medicine have brought a small but welcome reduction in the number newborn babies dying, I am concerned that the stillbirth rate is still too high and I really hope more can be done to bring these rates down in the coming years.

“Indeed I raised the issue as part of a wider debate I led in the House of Commons regarding the future of maternity services both nationally and in Crawley.”

Neal Long, Chief Executive of Sands added:

“A third of stillborn babies – around 1,200 babies - are perfectly formed and born at gestations when they might safely be delivered. But routine antenatal care is failing to detect far too many babies who need help. These babies’ deaths are those that Sands, researchers and clinicians working in obstetrics, believe are avoidable deaths.

“We want to see real national commitment to tackling this ignored tragedy and preventing all avoidable baby deaths in the future. We want lives saved and families spared the desperate heartbreak of losing their precious baby.”

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ENDS