Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake who had miscarriage criticises “cruel” system which denies women basic tests after baby loss
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00:00It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I thank the hon. Member for Ashfield
00:06for securing today's important debate. My thoughts are with all the families whose experiences
00:13he shared today, and with all those who have shared their own personal experiences in the
00:19Chamber as well.
00:21This is an issue that is both deeply personal to me and one that I have spoken many times
00:27in the past five years about. I am sad to say that I have not yet had my rainbow baby.
00:36It does not stop for questions every single month, for probably the last year of asking
00:40if I am pregnant. I encourage colleagues not to ask women, because it is not only very
00:47rude but can cause a lot of heartache for those who are struggling to conceive.
00:54I have had the honour of working with dedicated campaigners, including Mining Class, and we
01:00were privileged to welcome the former Minister for Women's Health to Tommies at the Women's
01:07Hospital in Birmingham. It was great to get them there, and I extend that invitation to
01:16the new Government's health team to see the research that has been done there and to see
01:21an alternative model of care that would see the end of the three-miscarriage rule, which
01:27has since been piloted in response to the review, and to meet the families of those
01:34whom Tommies have helped to have their rainbow children. It was incredibly rewarding to hear
01:42their stories about how the small differences in care can really make a difference and allow
01:49people to have the families they so desperately need, whilst remembering the children they
01:54were unable to hold in good health. It has been brilliant to work with Tommies for several
02:03years, pushing for meaningful and long-overdue changes, because it is estimated that 50%
02:09of people will be affected by baby loss during their lifetime, either personally or through
02:16someone they know. Miscarriage is common, but that does not make it any less heartbreaking.
02:22Often, this leaves women facing grief in isolation, as well as men who have gone through
02:27this. We have been trying hard to break the taboo, increase support by employers, establish
02:33bereavement leave and better mental health support—there is none in many cases—but,
02:39most importantly, improve the pathway of care by pushing for more early intervention
02:46for women who may be at higher risk, such as myself, who had undiagnosed diabetes,
02:51and funding for research to make sure we are doing all we can to improve the life chances
02:58of people going through pregnancy. In the UK, 13 babies tragically die before, during or shortly
03:06after birth every day. National reports indicate that up to one in five of these stillbirths
03:13and neonatal deaths could be prevented if guidelines were simply consistently followed.
03:19That is simply not good enough, and these deaths are not mere statistics but heartbreaking losses
03:24that call for our immediate attention and action. I would like to highlight the progress being made
03:30in addressing the challenges in miscarriage in response to the independent pregnancy review,
03:34because it is important that we show there is more that can be done here.
03:40We have touched on the three miscarriage rule, but it is really important that we
03:44make sure that the ending is rolled out successfully. We have seen the pilot that
03:48we are waiting for the results of, but I hope this Government will take seriously
03:53that change in the model of care, which is not only backed up by research—that
03:58three number was picked out of mid-air, by all accounts. There is no reason why
04:02someone should have to wait to have three miscarriages before they get basic tests
04:06for diabetes or for other reasons to understand why they may have miscarried.
04:13It is cruel. You would not expect anyone to have three heart attacks before you did a basic test.
04:19It is laying bare the kind of sexism in our medical system that we would want to allow
04:28people to go through so many times, with so much loss and so much trauma,
04:33before we would give them the answers they need to perhaps go on to have successful pregnancies.
04:39The review also provided 73 recommendations across various areas, including the graded
04:45model of care, which would be the alternative to the three miscarriage rule, and supplying
04:49people with the support they need from one miscarriage, which is currently being trialled
04:55at Birmingham. Another vital recommendation is 24x7 access to miscarriage care. At the moment,
05:01depending on where you live in the country, you may have access to an early pregnancy unit.
05:06You may not. You may not have any access to information if you are suffering a miscarriage
05:11or what to do in that situation, leading to people turning up at A&E or staying at home
05:16and losing a child unnecessarily. This is a critical measure to ensure that no one has
05:22to navigate the painful experience alone. I would love to work with the Government further
05:27on how we can develop this in an affordable but successful way to reach all communities,
05:33whether they are rural or in a city. However, there is one important area that I feel has been
05:39left out a bit from the conversation and has been touched on today. It is about data collection.
05:47It is vital that we understand the issue. There has been a push for systemic recording
05:52for all miscarriages to understand the true scale. The numbers we quote today
05:57are unknowns, really, because we have not been doing this systematically.
06:03I experienced being called for my flu jab. I was a bit bemused by this and asked why I had
06:11been called for my flu jab. They said, oh, it is because you are pregnant.
06:16Then they looked down and realised I was not pregnant and said, oh wait, you are not.
06:22That was a very difficult thing for me to go through. They did give me the flu jab,
06:26which was quite funny, I suppose, but it was really hard for me to go to that appointment
06:33and to hear that. I know that a lot of my constituents have been asked if it is their
06:40first child or how their other children are doing, because the notes are just not there,
06:46and the way that miscarriage and baby loss are flagged on their medical records is not sufficient
06:52to stop those awkward and very upsetting experiences for women who have been through
06:58baby loss. We want to get those national statistics, because we truly want to understand
07:04the true picture. That will allow us to set targets and measure the impact of interventions
07:11that we so desperately need to introduce. While the previous Government's commitment to 20 short-term
07:16actions, including some of the issues I have highlighted, is a positive step, it is deeply
07:23concerning that families are still having to face the trauma of multiple miscarriages before receiving
07:31those investigative tests, but also the mental health support. That is something that I think
07:37is not fully understood as well. You are more likely to suffer from PTSD, depression,
07:43suicide—these are all very material issues for families who have experienced one miscarriage,
07:49never mind the trauma of three. I hope that the Government can look into this issue in more detail.
07:58We have heard about the issues of inequalities, but black babies are more than twice as likely
08:05to be stillborn, and black and Asian babies are over 50% more likely to die
08:10shortly after birth compared to white babies. We have high rates of child
08:16fatality and miscarriage reported in the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities,
08:22and this disparity is unacceptable. I urge the Government to renew and extend the national
08:27maternity safety ambitions, setting clear targets to reduce these inequalities. I welcomed the
08:33reviews of these two areas when they were brought by the last Government, but I hope that we can
08:38learn the lesson soon and get action for those mothers. Every baby deserves an equal chance of
08:44survival. It should not matter what your background is. We must also focus on improving prenatal care,
08:51and this is an area that is not given enough information on. Early and regular antenatal
08:58care is critical, but if we can provide advice, guidance and support for women who have
09:02disabilities and illnesses, we can help them have safer pregnancies.
09:11We still know and have heard today that basic care is not there for many people,
09:16and that is a gap that is essential for us to focus on. We need to ensure that every expectant
09:23mother has access to timely, high-quality care, regardless of their background. Alongside this,
09:29addressing health inequalities is absolutely crucial. Babies born into poverty are sadly
09:35more likely to die by their first birthday compared to those born into wealthier families,
09:41and this disparity is a stark reminder of the broader social determinants of health
09:45that contribute to infant mortality. We must tackle these inequalities head-on by improving
09:51access to health care, education and support for all families, particularly those from
09:55disadvantaged communities. Preventable baby deaths are a tragedy that we have the power
10:00to address and prevent. While we have made important strides, more work is desperately
10:05needed. I urge this Government to commit wholeheartedly to giving every baby the chance
10:10to thrive and ensuring that every family receives the essential support they need
10:15throughout pregnancy and, unfortunately, throughout baby life.