§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to address women's health issues regarding(a) premature birth, (b) still birth and (c) miscarriage. [67064]
§ Jacqui SmithIn order to improve the wellbeing of pregnant women and outcome for babies, the Department has
Commissioned the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to issue clinical guidelines on:
- use of electronic fetal monitoring—this helps evaluation of fetal wellbeing in labour with the aim of reducing perinatal mortality and cerebral palsy of the newborn.
- induction of labour—which provides safe clinical practices to reduce perinatal mortality.
- use of Anti D prophylaxis for rhesus negative mothers—which helps prevent Haemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) and still births.
Further guidelines are awaited on antenatal care and caesarean sections, both of which will further help reduce fetal risks.
- Extended the Sure Start programme which helps families in disadvantaged areas to support to women in the antenatal period as well, since women in these areas are more likely to have still births, pre mature births and miscarriages.
- Invested to increase the number of midwives to provide additional support throughout pregnancy and childbirth.
- Commenced the development of a children's national service framework (NSF) including maternity services. The overarching aim for the NSF is to enable childbearing women, children and young people to develop healthy lifestyles. The NSF will set national standards of care to cover pre conception, antenatal and intra partum services.