Bringing a new life into the world should be one of the most joyful experiences a person can have. Yet, in the UK, too many families face the heartbreak of baby loss, whether through miscarriage, stillbirth, or traumatic birth experiences.
The national ambition set in 2010 to reduce stillbirths, neonatal, and maternal deaths by 50% by 2025 is nearing its expiry, but we are not on track to meet the target. The UK Government should renew the national maternity ambitions beyond 2025, to include the four nations, and to enhance them with a clear baseline to measure progress against.
The true scale of miscarriage in the UK is still unknown because no official record of miscarriages is held. We must do all we can to ensure that every single preventable baby loss is avoided. And for those who do experience baby loss, we want to ensure that proper support is in place – including support and referral being available for every miscarriage, rather than after three.
Black women are at almost four times greater risk of maternal mortality than White women. Black babies are nearly twice as likely, and Asian babies are nearly 1.5 times more likely, to die during the first 28 days compared to White babies. Infant mortality rates in the most deprived neighbourhoods are double those in the least deprived areas. The UK must work towards ending discrimination towards diverse parents during pregnancy.
We believe it is time for change and our goal is clear; to make the UK the safest country in the world to have a baby. That’s why today, Liberal Democrats have passed new policy to transform and improve care through pregnancy and the neonatal period.
- Making support and referral are available after every miscarriage, not just after three.
- Ensuring best-practice care is accessible 24/7 for anyone experiencing miscarriage, ensuring that no one is left to suffer alone.
- All miscarriages should be recorded, bringing transparency to this hidden problem. Setting national targets to reduce miscarriage rates and improve outcomes.
- Backing the commitments made in the NHS Workforce Plan with sufficient funding; this includes the expansion of the wider maternity and neonatal workforce, ensuring that every expectant parent receives the care they deserve.
- Improving the coding of ethnicity and data – including surveys avoiding overusing ‘other’ as a category.
- Creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone receiving maternity or perinatal care, including trans and nonbinary people.