What’s missing from the 10 Year Health Plan? 

Whilst it’s great news that the Government in England is committed to taking action to save babies’ lives and address inequalities, we’d like to see more detail on how this is going to be done. One big omission in the Plan is no mention of bereavement care for people experiencing pregnancy and baby loss. Alongside Sands, bereaved parents have been asking for this throughout the Change NHS consultation process and more recently in face-to-face meetings with Wes Streeting MP, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. We will be urging the government to address this as plans for maternity and neonatal services are developed. 

The Government needs to set new targets to track progress on saving babies’ lives, and make sure that fewer babies die. The Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit’s latest report shows that at least 2,500 more babies would still be alive today if the Government had achieved its ambition of halving the 2010 rates of stillbirth, neonatal and maternal deaths in England since 2018.  

“While there has been a separate recent announcement on maternity care by the Secretary of State, this is not enough. Two key areas haven’t been addressed. Firstly, we need the Government to set new targets to reduce stillbirth, neonatal death and preterm birth in England – and align these new maternity ambitions within the 10 Year Plan. 

“Secondly, there is no acknowledgement in the Plan of the action that needs to be taken to make sure that if a baby dies, their parents receive high-quality compassionate bereavement care. At least 700 bereaved parents responded to the 10 Year Plan consultation calling for this to happen. Their voices must be heard. 

“One way to ensure this happens is to mandate the standards in the National Bereavement Care Pathway for Pregnancy and Baby Loss, and NHS Trusts will also need to have the resources to implement the standards.” 

Dr Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands 

A win for Sands campaigners 

We were pleased to see that there will be a new independent maternity and neonatal safety taskforce which will include bereaved parent representatives. It’s also a huge win for Sands campaigners that there will be an anti-discrimination programme to tackle inequalities in care for Black, Asian, and other underserved communities. You can read more about that here. 

What next? 

We will continue working with governments across the UK and with the NHS to save babies’ lives and make sure all bereaved parents to get the care they need.  

We are pleased that there is a commitment to implement a National Bereavement Care Pathway for pregnancy and baby loss in every UK nation; to give healthcare professionals the tools, support and guidance they need to provide high quality compassionate care to bereaved parents and families. 

We’ll be collaborating with the NHS to make sure these pathways are mandated in every nation, so that there are clear standards that need to be met to make sure bereaved parents and families get the care they need.  

We will also carry on working closely with Tommy’s as part of the Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit, sharing the latest evidence and influencing policy.  

We won’t stop until change happens. 

How I get involved?  

It’s one of our core values that we work closely with people touched by pregnancy and baby loss – and make sure your voice is heard.  

You can help our most recent campaign by getting in touch with your local representative and asking them to set new targets to save babies' lives. I'll help

You can also get involved in our campaigning, and we’ll reach out to you about how we can work together to make change happen.