Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the study entitled Maternal mortality in eight European countries with enhanced surveillance systems published in the British Medical Journal on 16 November 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of NHS guidance on doctors recording links to maternity on death certificates; and what steps his Department will take to improve postnatal care to prevent (a) hearth disease, (b) suicides and (c) blood clots.

The planned digitised Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) will be completed by the medical practitioner and include the recording of maternal deaths. This will allow for information related to pregnancy recorded at the time of death, in line with international standards. Once the digitised product is deployed, guidance will be available on completing the MCCD. The intention is to introduce the revised and digitised MCCD with the introduction of medical examiners from April 2023. NHS England has commissioned 14 maternal medicine networks in England to ensure access to specialist management and care for women with chronic and acute medical problems in pregnancy.