Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to MBRRACE-UK's report entitled UK Perinatal Deaths for Births from January to December 2021, published in September 2023, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's polices of that report's finding that neonatal mortality increased in 2021 across all gestational age groups.

We take the findings of the recent MBRRACE-UK report extremely seriously. Between 2010 and 2022, the stillbirth rate had reduced by 23%, and the neonatal mortality rate for babies born over the 24-week gestational age of viability had reduced by 30%. We are working to understand why a recent increase has been reported, including considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In partnership with the National Health Service, the Government is committed to improving maternity outcomes and continuing to work towards achieving the targets of the Maternity Safety Ambition which include halving the 2010 rates of stillbirths and neonatal deaths. The NHS is investing an additional £165 million annually, in maternity and neonatal services across England. This will rise by £21 million to £186 million from 2024/25 with part year effect in 2023/24. NHS England published its three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services to outline how the NHS will make maternity care safer, more personalised, and more equitable for women and their babies.

Additionally, the new Maternity and Neonatal National Oversight Group brings together key experts from across the maternity improvement programmes and the implementation of recommendations from maternity reviews.