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 prevention of (a) Group B Strep and (b) serious infections in newborn babies.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) plays a key role in tackling group B streptococcus (GBS) and other neonatal infections. Through national surveillance systems, the agency monitors the trends, characteristics, and outcomes of GBS infection, to assess risk factors and support prevention. Other severe neonatal infections are also routinely monitored and reported, and in all cases, key data is shared with relevant stakeholder groups.

Practitioners are expected to take a risk-based approach to screening, diagnosis, and treatment of GBS. Under current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, pregnant women who are known to carry GBS, or who have risk factors, should be offered antibiotics during labour to help prevent early-onset infection in their baby. NHS maternity services provide information and advice to expectant parents on the signs and symptoms of infection in pregnancy and newborn babies, including about GBS, associated risk factors, and when to seek urgent medical attention for themselves or their baby.

NHS England works closely in this area with the Group B Strep Society and the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, including supporting their work to provide resources for health care practitioners. NHS England is also leading the national rollout of early warning systems across maternity services, designed to improve early detection and management of unwell babies, and support their long-term health and wellbeing.