In response to the claim that reproductive health and childbirth research receives a higher proportion of research funding than the corresponding burden of disease, we explore the limitations of metrics which compare health conditions and how they ignore the impact of pregnancy loss.
Investment in maternity and neonatal services has not kept up with the rate of inflation over recent years, and spending in this area has remained a relatively small proportion of overall spending on healthcare in Wales. More investment is needed to reduce rates of stillbirth and neonatal death, tackle inequalities and support improvements in the safety and quality of services.
Reports and reviews have highlighted issues with the use and quality of interpreting and translation services in maternity and neonatal care, contributing to poor outcomes and avoidable harm. We have collated and synthesised these issues, with a focus on interpreting services, and have put forward considerations for policymakers.
The Joint Policy Unit has responded to the Change NHS consultation, which will inform a new 10 year plan for the NHS in England.
The National Maternity Safety Ambitions – which aim to halve the 2010 rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries and reduce the rate of preterm births from 8% to 6% – expire in 2025. We have considered what appropriate ambitions for reducing perinatal mortality and preterm birth could look like.
Unlike stillbirths and neonatal deaths, the number of miscarriages which occur each year in the UK are not measured or reported. This briefing note outlines what data are currently available in each nation, what improvement work is underway and what further action is required.
Tommy’s and Sands Maternity Consortium led a project to engage with women and birthing people who have self-harmed, had suicidal thoughts and/or attempted suicide during the perinatal period. The aim of this work is to understand these experiences to identify how support in the perinatal period can be improved and the risk of self-harm and suicide reduced.
The Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit reviewed 30 reports into maternity and neonatal services across the UK. For each of these reports we identified recommendations relevant to saving babies’ lives and tackling inequalities, and then grouped these into key themes.