Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to reduce the incidence of disability and long-term health problems among children born prematurely.
Ben Gummer
On 13 November, the Government announced an ambitious campaign to halve the national rates of maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths and brain injuries in babies by 2030. To help meet these aims, the Government will establish a £2.24 million fund to support trusts to buy cutting-edge monitoring or training equipment to improve safety.
NHS England commissions Neonatal Care from 165 neonatal units which are organised and supported by 13 Operational Delivery Networks. These Networks have brought tangible benefits in helping to ensure that babies are delivered in the right place to receive specialist care when it is needed.
To support the provision of safe, high quality care for sick and premature babies and their families, NHS England’s Neonatal Critical Care Service Specification states that providers should ensure that expert and experienced staff treat sufficient numbers of cases to maintain a safe high quality service and move towards national standards. Clinical expertise is a key determinant of outcomes for these babies.
The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence published guidelines in November 2015 on the care of women at increased risk of or with symptoms and signs of preterm labour (before 37 weeks) and women having a planned preterm birth. It aims to reduce the risks of preterm birth for the baby and describes treatments to prevent or delay early labour and birth.
