Released on: 14 September 2023
Responding to the MBRRACE-UK State of the Nation report, Angela McConville, Chief Executive at NCT, said:
“Our heartfelt condolences are with all the families affected by the tragedy of losing a baby. Neonatal and stillbirth deaths rose in 2021, the stark issue of health inequalities persists and the government's failure to act has cost the lives of too many babies.
“The lack of progress in tackling racial and socio-economic disparities is deeply concerning and we need to ask why. Once again, we see that parents aren’t being listened to and with added language and cultural differences, there must be a greater, more focused effort to engage and support all parents and their babies. We fully support the recommendations in the report for targeted action to reduce inequalities and access to care.
“We must acknowledge that during the pandemic, the NHS was under unimaginable pressures. Too often care was compromised due to overworked staff, staffing shortages and lack of proper funding. This has had devastating consequences for families expecting or caring for a new baby, and financial barriers have meant some parents have been deprived of the care they need.
“The government must act now to invest in maternity services, so it is better resourced, funded and managed in order to deliver compassionate, equitable and personalised care throughout the perinatal period.”
To read the full report, please visit here.
