Sands has welcomed a House of Lords committee report that calls on the Government and NHS England to take further steps to reduce the incidence and impact of preterm births.

The Preterm Birth Committee’s report ‘Preterm birth: Reducing risks and improving lives’, is published today (14 November) after taking evidence from parents, Sands and other charities, academics, healthcare professionals, NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care.

Preterm birth – when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy – is the single biggest cause of neonatal mortality in the UK, and a leading contributor to deaths in childhood.

The committee's report highlights large variations in the implementation of national clinical guidance related to preterm birth between hospitals and regions. It also found worrying disparities between preterm birth rates and outcomes across different socioeconomic and ethnic groups.

The Preterm Birth Committee is calling on the Government and NHS England to focus on national targets that will support efforts to reduce the incidence and impact of preterm birth, across all groups of the population.

"The Government must act on the Committee's recommendations and grasp the opportunity that the upcoming NHS 10-year Plan presents to make transformational improvements to maternity and neonatal care. We are particularly concerned about the inequalities in preterm birth rates and outcomes due to ethnicity and deprivation.

 

"Sands gave evidence to the Committee this year, representing the voices of bereaved parents and families. We highlighted some simple changes that can make a big difference, starting with the national clinical guidance that exists. The fact that it is not being implemented is why the target to reduce the preterm birth rate in England to 6% by 2025 will not be met." 

- Clea Harmer, Sands' Chief Executive

More key findings from the Preterm Birth Committee’s report

The committee also found that:

• maternity and neonatal services continue to face staffing pressures, which can have an impact on the provision of safe, high-quality care for preterm babies and their families;
• children who were born preterm do not always receive essential neurodevelopmental assessments at age two, and rarely at age four, despite these 
  being recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE);
• a greater focus on pregnancy and neonatal research is needed, alongside increased funding, to develop more effective interventions and ensure clinical guidance is implemented effectively.

“We heard stark evidence on the impact of preterm birth, which can be sudden and unexpected. While many babies born prematurely go on to do well, for some children and families, preterm birth has significant, and often lifelong, adverse consequences. Reducing the immediate and longer-term impacts of preterm birth should therefore remain a key objective. Improving outcomes for preterm babies and their families could also generate substantial cost savings within healthcare and education. 

 

"We thank all the witnesses who shared their personal experiences with the Committee. Their accounts made clear why more must be done to support preterm babies and their families to thrive. Improving the life chances of the few requires effort by the many. We hope that the key findings of our report will form part of the co-ordinated effort needed to ensure that this happens.”
 

- Committee Chair, Lord Patel 

Sands and Tommy's Joint Policy Unit provided important evidence

The Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit (JPU) also submitted evidence to the Preterm Birth Committee, largely drawn from the Saving Babies’ Lives progress report published in May 2023, which brought together data from different sources for the first time to show the extent of pregnancy loss and baby death across the UK.

"This report is right to highlight the lack of progress on preterm birth, as well as the persistent inequalities in preterm birth  across different socioeconomic and ethnic groups.  We agree with the committee that this needs to be much more of a priority for the NHS and government as a whole. With three-quarters of neonatal deaths occurring in babies born preterm,  greater progress is vital to save more babies’ lives and reduce inequalities in baby death."

- Robert Wilson, Head of the Sands and Tommy's Joint Policy Unit

 Sands is here for you

We understand that reports like this can bring up all kinds of emotions. Sands is here for anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby, however recently or longer ago, for as long as they need this.