About the APPG on Baby Loss
Founded in February 2016, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Baby Loss brings together MPs and Peers from across parties to work on this vital issue.
The APPG’s overall aims are to develop policy that supports families dealing with the grief of baby loss, and to prevent it happening in the first place. It aims to raise awareness of what more can be done by the government, Parliament or other agencies to help those affected, and reduce the risk of baby loss.
To find out more about the APPG:
- Contact us on appg.babyloss@sands.org.uk
- Join the mailing list
- Follow the APPG on Twitter or Bluesky
Sands provides the secretariat for the APPG on Baby Loss.
APPG on Baby Loss officers
Andy MacNae MP (Chair) Alison Bennett MP (Vice Chair)
Michelle Welsh MP (Vice Chair) Saqib Bhatti MP (Vice Chair)
You can find the full list of APPG on Baby Loss members below:
APPG on Baby Loss members
- Abtisam Mohamed MP
- Dr Adam Thompson MP
- Alice Madonald MP
- Amanda Hack MP
- Bambos Charalambous MP
- Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
- Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
- Bobby Dean MP
- Dave Robertson MP
- Freddie van Mierlo MP
- Helen Morgan MP
- Kate Osamor MP
- Kirsty Blackman MP
- Martin Vickers MP
- Mary Kelly Foy MP
- Maya Ellis MP
- Munira Wilson MP
- Olivia Blake MP
- Peter Lamb MP
- Peter Prinsley MP
- Rachael Maskell MP
- Sarah Gibson MP
- Sarah Hall MP
- Sharon Hodgson MP
- Sir John Hayes MP
- Steve Yemm MP
- Tessa Munt MP
- Tom Morrison MP
- Vikki Slade MP
Upcoming meetings
The next meeting of the APPG on Baby Loss will take place on Thursday 4 December, 2-4pm.
Please register to attend here.
APPG on Baby Loss minutes
You can find the minutes of recent APPG on Baby Loss meetings below:
Please contact us for the minutes of previous meetings.
Previous APPG activity:
APPGs on Baby Loss and Maternity - Safe Staffing report
Both the Health and Social Care Select Committee and the Ockenden Review recommended that the Government takes urgent action to increase the maternity workforce in order to deliver safer maternity care.
For the 2022 Safe Staffing campaign, the APPG on Baby Loss and the APPG on Maternity joined forces to push for urgent action on the maternity staffing crisis. In October 2022, the APPGs published their joint report ‘Safe staffing: The impact of staffing shortages in maternity and neonatal care’.
The report is a culmination of over 100 submissions to an open call for evidence to help better understand the experience of those directly impacted by maternity staff levels. The findings paint a bleak picture of a service that is at breaking point and staff that are overworked, burnt out and stressed.
In November 2022, the Chancellor's autumn statement included specific maternity commitments - these include the Government publishing a comprehensive NHS workforce plan, including "independently verified workforce forecasts", and recruiting 2,000 more midwives in line with the Ockenden's Review of maternity services.
The APPGs were pleased to see acknowledgement of the report's recommendations as well as commitments to ensure that staffing levels in maternity services are safer. The groups and their members look forward to working with the Government to ensure that these are implemented rapidly so that mothers, babies and bereaved families get the safe care that they deserve.
COVID-19 and baby loss
In August 2020 the APPG held a virtual meeting focused on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy and baby loss. The meeting heard evidence from organisations who support women and partners who experience loss, and the evidence was stark; COVID-19 has exacerbated existing challenges, and has had a negative impact on the experience of women, partners and their families at the worst possible time of their lives. While recognising the increased pressure that health services have faced during the pandemic, the APPG have produced this short report which seeks to highlight key challenges and make suggestions for how healthcare professionals can continue to deliver the best possible care. Read the report on baby loss and COVID-19.
Disclaimer
This is not an official website of Parliament. It has not been approved by either House. APPGs are informal groups of Parliamentarians with a common interest in particular issues. The views expressed are those of the group.
APPG registration can be found here.