Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 15 July (HL1814), what safeguards exist to prevent uncertainty or error in the assessment of gestational age, or in the retrospective classification of a stillbirth as antepartum or intrapartum, from determining whether bereaved parents have access to an independent investigation.

The Government recognises the concerns raised about how perinatal mortality reviews are carried out. The Perinatal Mortality Review Tool provides a framework which needs to also be supported by effective implementation to deliver the objectives of these reviews.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is chairing the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to develop a national action plan to reform maternity and neonatal services. As Baroness Amos’ report makes clear, there is a pressing need to improve the quality, transparency, oversight, and accountability of investigations and we are working with the taskforce to review this.

With regard to coronial investigation of stillbirth, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 15 July in response to Question HL1814, which, for ease of reference, has been reproduced below:

“All bereaved parents have the option to be involved in a high-quality review of the death of their baby, from 22 weeks' gestation up to 28 days post birth, through a perinatal mortality review. While this is carried out by the hospital or hospitals where the mother and baby were looked after, a national tool is in place, namely the national Perinatal Mortality Review Tool, to ensure such reviews are objective, robust, and standardised.

“There are a range of views on how stillbirths should be investigated, and it is important that the Government’s conclusions on coronial investigations of stillbirths reflect the recommendations Baroness Amos has made through the final report of her independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care, and supports the most effective model for maternity investigations.

“As recommended in Baroness Amos’ report, we will publish the Government’s response to the 2019 consultation, jointly with the Ministry of Justice, in due course.”