Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) public awareness and (b) education on Group B Strep.

Midwives are a key source of information for new and expectant parents on group B Strep (GBS), so it is critical that they are well-informed. Awareness of GBS helps eliminate this serious, yet often avoidable, infections in new-born babies. An evidence-based i-learn module on GBS is freely available to all Royal College of Midwives members and midwives are encouraged to undertake this training to increase their knowledge around GBS.

Additionally, the Government’s national Start4Life programme provides advice and practical guidance to parents-to-be and families with babies and under five years old, to help them adopt healthy behaviours and build parenting skills. The Start4Life website offers guidance for all pregnant mothers, including those from Black and Asian backgrounds, on GBS. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/start4life