Improving care in pregnancies affected by diabetes

Evidence shows that rates of pregnancy loss and baby deaths are higher in pregnancies affected by diabetes, and that diabetes in pregnancy is increasing. 

Evidence also shows there are inequalities in experiences and outcomes linked to diabetes in pregnancy.  

We know that with the right screening and care, risks can be reduced and babies’ lives saved. 

There is a national programme (called MBRRACE) that collects hospital data about baby deaths in the UK to help improve care for mothers and babies. An MBRRACE confidential enquiry is due to be published in the summer of 2027. This enquiry is looking at the clinical care where a baby or babies have died following a pregnancy affected by diabetes.   

Sands’ report from the Diabetes Project will be published at the same time as the MBRRACE confidential enquiry. This will ensure that the voices of bereaved parents and healthcare staff are heard alongside learning from clinical records.   

Combined, the two reports will provide powerful evidence of where improvements are needed. 

To get this work started, we are setting up a group of lived-experience partners to make sure the voices of bereaved parents are included at every stage. This group will be made up of a small number of bereaved parents with experience of diabetes in pregnancy at any time. It is an opportunity to be involved throughout the project from its design right through to information-sharing and impact.  

If you would like to find out more about the lived-experience group, please email Julia at research@sands.org.uk. We can then sent up a Teams chat to see if this opportunity is a good fit for you at this time. 

Listening to bereaved parents and healthcare staff

Our findings will be shared with a wide audience, including policy makers and maternity professionals. They will feed into our work across research, education and policy at Sands.   

We will make sure the key messages from this work are heard by those with the power to make change.   

At the stakeholder meeting in 2027, we will agree what needs to happen to drive improvements in this area and ask stakeholders to take forward actions linked to their own areas of work. 

By working collaboratively, we will turn learning into action - to drive safer and more positive pregnancy experiences and reduce pregnancy loss and baby deaths.   

To find out more about how we use insights from bereaved parents and research to drive change, look at our horizon scanning project focused on improving how we talk about babies' movements in pregnancy.