Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) quality and (b) consistency of support provided by NHS Trusts for bereaved parents following miscarriage or baby loss.

In 2023/24, NHS England is investing £5.9 million nationally to support the delivery of daily bereavement care services for women and families who suffer pregnancy/baby loss and is growing the number of staff trained in bereavement care.

All parents experiencing a loss should be provided with safe and compassionate bereavement support that is responsive to their needs and choices. While we recognise that many units are working towards these standards, this standard of bereavement care provision needs to be consistent nationally.

We are also looking to improve access to and the quality of perinatal mental health care for mothers and their partners. There are now 35 Maternal Mental Health Services across England which provide psychological therapy for women experiencing mental health difficulties related to their maternity experience, including as a result of loss. Services are due to be implemented in every area of the country by March 2024.