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Pregnancy: Screening

Asked by Dr Ben SpencerConservativeDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 18 March 2026UIN 115541

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of fetal growth monitoring practices across NHS Trusts.

Answered by Karin Smyth

To support the consistent delivery of evidence based best practice in regards to fetal growth monitoring, NHS England published the Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle Version 3.2 in April 2025.

The bundle covers six areas of clinical care, one of which is fetal growth monitoring. This includes early and ongoing fetal growth restriction risk assessment, risk-based surveillance, competent measurement and interpretation, and timely escalation through clear assessment and decision-making pathways, in line with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Green-top Guideline No. 31.

Implementation of the clinical standards within the bundle is supported through NHS Resolution’s Maternity Incentive Scheme, which provides a strong financial mechanism to encourage adoption and consistency.

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