Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what pain relief guidelines are in place regarding the performance of surgeries by the NHS on fetuses.

Pain relief, such as fentanyl, can be given to the fetus prior to or during procedures such as the insertion of a needle into the chest or abdomen. National Health Service units are adopting this practice in line with recent international guidance. For major fetal surgery, such as the in-utero repair of spina bifida, NHS England’s service specification provides guidance for the use of fetal analgesia, which is used in all cases.