Continuity of Carer

Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about support for bereaved parents and the ‘continuity of carer’ model in maternity services.

The death of a baby is a devastating experience. I sympathise profoundly with anyone who is affected. The pandemic has made such sad occurrences even more tragic. It is essential that families receive the best care and support as soon as possible. We know that the sooner they get it, the better that care is for them.

I pay tribute to members of the Baby Loss Awareness Alliance, including the charity Stillbirth and Neonatal Death (Sands), who work together to drive through change and improvements in bereavement care on a national basis.

In your letter, you echo Sands’ call for access to well-resourced ‘continuity of carer’ models across all local maternity services. As you know, ‘continuity of carer’ refers to consistency in the midwife or clinical team that provides care for a woman and her baby throughout the three phases of her maternity journey: pregnancy, labour, and the postnatal period.

This model of care is particularly important for women who have experienced baby loss and for those who are pregnant again following the death of a baby. Indeed, evidence shows that women who receive midwifery-led continuity of care are 16% less likely to lose their baby, 19% less likely to lose their baby before 24 weeks and 24% less likely to experience pre-term birth and report significantly improved experience of care across a range of measures.

In 2019, the Government made a commitment that most women would have access to continuity of care by March 2021, a commitment reiterated in the NHS Long Term Plan. However, the Minister responsible for patient safety and mental health recently confirmed that the service is being offered to just 15.9% of women across the country. I understand the concerns raised by Sands and others that progress in rolling-out this service has been too slow.

I urge Ministers to set out their plans to extend the ‘continuity of carer’ model across the country and ensure pregnant women, particularly those who have previously experienced baby loss, can access this vital service.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this important issue.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Dowd MP