Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake who had miscarriage criticises “cruel” system which denies women basic tests after baby loss
Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake who had miscarriage criticises “cruel” system which denies women basic tests after baby loss
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
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.