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 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.

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.

We have undertaken analysis of information found on NHS Trust websites under their guidance for contacting maternity triage in early labour to assess consistency in advice.

We assessed commitments from the Government to increase funding for maternity and neonatal services in England, highlighting how these remain significantly below the level needed to support transformative improvements in these services.

This is the second Saving Babies’ Lives Progress report published by the Joint Policy Unit. The report summarises the latest data and shares updates on the work that we have delivered over the past year.

Ahead of the 2024 general election, joint with Sands and Tommy’s, we set out what we believe the next government must do to deliver safer maternity and neonatal services, so that fewer babies die and inequalities in loss are eliminated.

The safety and quality of maternity and neonatal services are the responsibility of the board in each NHS Trust. However, board oversight has been highlighted as an issue in successive inquiries and reviews.