Infant Mortality
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support parents who have suffered from baby loss.
Answered by Karin Smyth
The Government recognises that experiencing a baby loss can be an extremely difficult time and we are determined to make sure all women, babies and their families receive safe, personalised and compassionate care, particularly when things go wrong.
Many trusts have specialist bereavement midwives, who are trained to care for and support parents and families who have suffered the loss of their baby. All trusts are now signed up to The National Bereavement Care Pathway, which acts as a set of standards and guidance that trusts should follow when a patient has suffered a baby loss.
Paid Parental Bereavement Leave was introduced in 2020. This entitlement is available to parents who lose a child under 18 years old, including where a baby is stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
In February 2024, the Department launched the Baby Loss Certificate service. This service is a non-statutory, voluntary scheme to enable those who have experienced any pregnancy loss to record and receive a certificate to provide recognition of their loss if they wish to do so.
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