Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd
Blue Sky Offices Shoreham, 25 Cecil Pashley Way, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 5FF, UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: +44 (0)1273 434 943
Email: [email protected]
A new report from Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit (JPU) has highlighted clear opportunities to reduce the number of premature births and stillbirths in the UK every year.
The Saving Babies’ Lives 2023 report includes an important focus on the experiences of minoritised ethnic groups and those living in the most deprived areas across the UK.
It is the first in a series planned by the JPU. It brings together data from different sources for the first time to show the extent of pregnancy and baby loss in the UK and provide an understanding of its causes, while making recommendations for change.
It says that there remains a significant gap between the UK and those countries
with the best pregnancy outcomes, suggesting a further reduction in mortality
rates is possible. Through a greater focus on research and innovation, more
deaths can be avoided in the future.
Recommendations include a national policy focus on supporting services to implement guidance effectively as too often nationally-agreed standards of care
are not being followed which is contributing to avoidable deaths.
In addition, having an independent, standardised method of investigating when a serious incident occurs will be vital. These learnings from reviews and investigations should be shared and acted upon, to prevent avoidable deaths in the future.
Maternity services are in dire need of investment
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) welcomed the report but said that maternity services are in dire need of investment. Without it, an already overstretched NHS will not be able to implement the recommendations in this report.
President Dr Ranee Thakar added: “The RCOG is delivering a range of programmes to support this ambition, including our ABC programme to reduce brain injury in childbirth, and development of the Tommy’s digital clinical support tool to help identify those most at risk of giving birth prematurely or developing pregnancy complications that can lead to stillbirth. Our clinical guidelines are also designed to support safe and effective clinical practice.
“We repeat our call for the government to commit to funding the improvements needed, including through a fully-funded long term workforce plan.”