Baby Loss

Luke Charters Excerpts

Monday 13th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Michelle Welsh (Sherwood Forest) (Lab)]

As a harmed mother from Nottinghamshire, I gave birth to my son by emergency C-section because health professionals treated me with utter contempt, ignored me and did not do as they should, and then said it was all my fault. My son was not put in my arms when he was born; instead, he was rushed over to a consultant to start him breathing. While I wish I had time to share the details of what happened in the Chamber so that others can understand the severity of a failing system, time does not permit me.

To those who have lost a baby, we know that when the world says, “I’m sorry for your loss”, it sounds thin and distant, because what was lost was not just a child. Families have lost first breaths, first steps, first days of school, and a lifetime of “I love you.” They have lost hope.

We must stop whispering about baby loss in the shadows. We must speak about the preventable errors, missed opportunities and systemic failures in our maternity services that have turned dreams into dust. Grief is a fact, but these failures are not inevitable. For too long the grief of affected families has been treated as a private sorrow and an isolated tragedy, but let me be clear: these are not isolated incidents. The heartbreak and loss are a consequence of a system that is failing, where warnings are missed, staffing is insufficient, preventable errors steal precious futures, tragedies are swept under the carpet and families have to fight for answers.

We have heard the data and read the reports, and we have shared our devastating stories. We know the truth: maternity services are fundamentally broken and our babies are paying the price. I am not asking for a miracle, but I am demanding competence, safety and accountability, and a country where every mother who walks into a delivery room knows that she is in the safest hands possible and that her baby will be protected. Our children deserve that safety, and the children yet to come deserve it too.

While we cannot bring back the precious babies we lost, we can honour their memory by ensuring that their fate is never repeated. We are not just mourning a past but fighting for a future where safety is guaranteed, where every mother is heard and where every birth is met with the excellence and dedication it deserves. Let the memory of the children we hold in our hearts be the light that guides our resolve. Let the stories be the steel in our spine. We pledge to them and ourselves that we will fix maternity services and build a legacy of safety so powerful that their short lives will forever protect the long lives of others, and we will do it for good.

I know from my own experience as a harmed mother in Nottinghamshire that speaking out and sharing what are potentially the most traumatic and personal experiences can be terrifying, and I want to commend those who have spoken out publicly and the hundreds of families who have spoken to me about their experiences. From talking to thousands of women and families, I have seen the recurring issues within our maternity services, including a culture of women not being listened to, a lack of accountability and situations where babies have died in the most horrendous circumstances and families are having to fight over and over again for answers and to relive the worst moments of their lives over and over again because the systems in this country are quite frankly broken.

I was the first elected member in Nottinghamshire to call for an independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust back in 2020. I am immensely grateful to the families, some of whom are in the Gallery today, who are leading the fight for change in Nottingham. We know that almost one in five stillbirths and neonatal deaths in this country could have been prevented through better care, yet the previous Government failed to act on this crisis, and families across the country have suffered immensely as a consequence. If I hear one more time that a previous Government Minister stood up and said that they were going to do it—well, they did not. They did not assign funding to it. They gave false promises to women and babies. We have a real opportunity under this Government to make maternity safer. Every woman deserves a birth experience where she feels heard, respected and, above all, safe.

Let me also be clear that this should never be an argument about natural versus surgical; it should be about what is the safest option for each woman. For too long the narrative has been poisoned by judgment. We have seen a damaging trend of labelling C-sections as a failure, a shortcut or a lesser way to give birth. The judgment is not just unfair but dangerous. The pressure created by this toxic conversation can sometimes push clinicians to delay necessary, lifesaving procedures or make women feel immense guilt for a safe outcome. Let us be clear that the safest birth is the most informed birth.

We must ensure that every woman has access to high-quality education regarding birth and feels confident asking critical questions about their care. We need to create a space where asking for help is seen not as a weakness but as a commitment to their wellbeing and their baby’s health. We must empower and support doctors, midwives and nurses, so that they can make decisions purely on medical necessity and safety—decisions that are free from dangerous judgments, including regarding C-sections. That requires us to have a workforce in place, so that clinicians can do their job, can make time for training, and, most importantly, once again have time to listen.

A key part of the conversation is continuity of care. We must ensure that midwives are given time to fully understand each woman’s needs and wants. By doing so, we can reduce the number of instances in which potentially life-threatening issues are missed and women fall through the cracks. Continuity of care can help address disparities in maternity care. When women—particularly black, Asian and minority women—see the same midwife throughout their pregnancy, they can build a relationship and ensure that their experience, culture and religious needs are considered. That creates a safer place for women to discuss sensitive issues and removes the frustration of having to repeat their story to numerous staff. If we can rebalance the conversations and culture around birth and put in place a system that allows for continuity of care, we can reduce the harm done to babies and families.

Continuity of care after birth will also be vital in reducing the incidence of death just after birth, which disproportionately affects babies born to mothers living in the most deprived areas of the UK; they are twice as likely to die in their first month as babies born to mothers in the least deprived areas. Change is so desperately needed. That is what families need, and what they are calling for. It is time to listen to the bereaved, and to harmed families, and to put them at the heart of any reforms.

[Mr Luke Charters (York Outer) (Lab)]

I thank my hon. Friend for making such a moving speech; she is an inspirational mum, raising awareness of this. If she will allow, I will raise the case of Hayley Patrick-Copeland, a bereaved mum who has been raising awareness of baby loss and putting in place support for bereaved parents. If I may, I will also put on the record in this place, for centuries to come, the names of her children, Alya and Aleah, whom she lost. Will my hon. Friend join me in remembering them, and in commending Hayley for her inspirational work, just like my hon. Friend’s, raising awareness of baby loss?

[Michelle Welsh]

I thank my hon. Friend; that was an important thing to say.

I was so pleased when the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced a rapid review of maternity services, which I believe he did to ensure that we get on with fixing the problems that we know are there—for example, with continuity of care—as soon as possible. It is vital that we take families with us and ensure that they are listened to and treated with respect. Let us not waste this real opportunity to change the systems that have been harming families for far too long.

The final key aspect that I would like to address is the need for true accountability. Too often, negligence leads to loss; the failures are there for everyone to see. I ask those who have recently called for a reduction in accountability this: how can accountability be reduced to improve maternity services when it is not even there? I am not talking about hounding midwives and obstetricians, but if someone makes a mistake again and again, as we saw in Nottinghamshire, families have to fight for the truth. Mothers leave hospital having been made to think that they were at fault. There has to be accountability. We need accountability and support to allow midwives to become great. Families should be clear about the process, which should work with them, so that they get answers and the truth without having to fight for them.

Eating Disorder Awareness

Luke Charters Excerpts

Tuesday 1st April 2025 Westminster Hall

[Mr Luke Charters (York Outer) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to speak with you in the Chair, Mr Stuart. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Bath (Wera Hobhouse) for securing this debate, and of course my hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth (Perran Moon); he is an inspirational dad with an inspirational daughter, and we all wish his family well.

I will speak about eating disorders affecting young men and boys. We need to focus on online influencers and the impact they can have on eating disorders, so of course I must mention the TV show “Adolescence”. An under-discussed theme of the series was the 13-year-old boy’s concern about his own body image, driven by social media. Recent research shows that eating disorders are growing at a faster rate in young men—a concerning trend.

Over the last few years we have seen toxic influencers drive false expectations about what young men should look like, and some young boys are being diagnosed with a lesser condition called bigorexia or muscle dysmorphia. Bigorexia drives boys to engage in extreme behaviours such as excessive weightlifting for their age, steroid use and excessive dieting and supplement intakes, all in pursuit of a totally unattainable ideal.

“Gym bros” and fitness influencers are giving impressionable young men and boys a false sense of security about many products. Paediatric science is uncertain about the effects of the intake of those products in children, and there are dangerous mental health scenarios as children clamour for them. Such products are often marketed with cheap deals and attractive flavours, such as blazing berry or creatine candy.

Another issue is the lack of advertising regulation. Ever-younger children are having that content pushed their way, resulting in a detrimental impact on their lives as they chase an unrealistic body type. This week I am writing to Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority, requesting that they review the current guidelines for advertising creatine supplements, low-carb diets and more, all of which I believe are harmful for children.

However, we also need positive role models and influencers, particularly in those sport, who can reach the young male demographics most at risk. There should be more airtime for Gareth Southgate than for Andrew Tate.

As my son grows up, I say to him, “Being a man in modern Britain is about how you behave, not how you’re built; how you express yourself, not what you eat, and how you support others, not how you suppress your emotions.” Whether we are grandparents, parents, aunties, uncles or anything else, we all want to see the next generation make misogyny extinct, so I make one final request today: it would be fantastic if the Minister could meet me to discuss my campaign to stop the selling of supplements and creatine to children.

I have a second son on the way this summer, and I want my boys to grow up to be respectful of women and confident and comfortable in themselves.

[Graham Stuart (in the Chair)]

The winding-up speeches begin with Jess Brown-Fuller.

Hospice and Palliative Care

Luke Charters Excerpts

Monday 13th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Harpreet Uppal (Huddersfield) (Lab)]

It is an absolute honour to follow the hon. Member for Wimbledon (Mr Kohler), who made a wonderfully poignant speech. I thank him for securing this debate.

As the Member of Parliament for Huddersfield, I have had the privilege of witnessing at first hand the exceptional work of hospices such as Forget Me Not children’s hospice and Kirkwood. These organisations are lifelines for individuals and families facing life-limiting conditions. I welcome the recent announcement of the expansion of hospice funding, which is a crucial step in addressing the financial challenges that these vital organisations face.

Hospices such as Forget Me Not and Kirkwood do not just offer medical care but provide emotional, psychological and practical support to patients and their families. They ensure dignity and compassion at every step of their journey, addressing the full spectrum of needs for those they care for. Steve, a local dad whose son, 10-year-old Ethan, receives support from the Forget Me Not hospice, spoke of its life-changing work for Ethan and the whole family. Steve said:

“When he’s here he’s comfortable, it’s a lovely environment. It’s not clinical and he’s treated like a normal person.”

They are not just care providers but community builders, offering spaces of comfort and support during life’s most difficult times.

Huddersfield University is leading on joint work with local hospices about research and clinical practice in end-of life-care. It includes working with Kirkwood hospice to create a postgraduate certificate in end of life care, the first of its kind in the UK to link with a hospice. While I am sitting next to my hon. Friend the Member for Spen Valley (Kim Leadbeater), I must pay tribute to how she conducted the debate on her Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. There is no doubt that she has moved the debate on funding for hospice care, and I thank her very much.

The expansion of hospice funding is a significant and welcome development, but we must acknowledge that many hospices, including those in my constituency, still face immense financial pressures. Forget Me Not children’s hospice recently launched an urgent appeal to address a £1 million funding gap. The expansion of funding must be part of a larger, ongoing strategy to ensure that long-term commissioned funding for hospices is part of the 10-year NHS plan.

[Mr Luke Charters (York Outer) (Lab)]

St Leonard’s hospice in my constituency lovingly cared for my uncle with extraordinary compassion last year in his final weeks. I hear my hon. Friend’s calls for hospices in her constituency but does she agree that, because of their empathy and the important work that they do, we must all campaign for the funding that our hospices desperately need?

[Harpreet Uppal]

I absolutely do. I pass on my condolences to my hon. Friend and his family, and pay tribute to the local hospice and the work that it has done to support his family.

I want to raise NHS England’s £26 million funding for children’s hospices—formerly the children’s hospice grant. Traditionally, that funding was distributed centrally by NHS England but last year, as has been mentioned, it was disseminated by integrated care boards. That has caused delays to many children’s hospices’ access to their funding, including Forget Me Not. It is critical that the funding is ringfenced for children’s hospices, and I hope that the Minister will review whether it can again be centrally distributed, to avoid further delays.

The new funding for hospices is an important milestone. I welcome the Government’s approach and thank the Minister for his work. I know that the hospice sector very much welcomes the additional funding, but can it also mark the beginning of further Government support for these essential services? Hospices are an integral part of our healthcare system, and we must ensure they have the resources and support that they need to continue their vital work, including the specialist doctors and nurses that are needed in many hospices.

Through Government action, community support and the tireless effort of hospice staff and volunteers, we can ensure that hospices not only survive but thrive, continuing to provide the compassion and dignity that every individual deserves.