Shocking statistics have highlighted the inequality in stillbirth & neonatal death rates were the same for Black and Asian babies, and campaigners and MPs are calling for urgent action to save lives.

MPs were invited to a #EndInequalitiesInBabyLoss campaign event in Parliament held by Sands, a charity that exists to reduce the number of babies dying and to support anyone affected by the death of a baby, and Tommy’s, a group that provides vital research into miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth.

Toby Perkins, MP for Chesterfield who attended the event, said, “I know from personal experience just how difficult it is to lose a child, and that’s why improved maternity services and better provision for bereavement care are crucial steps that must be taken to reduce the still very real risks of childbirth and give support to parents who have lost their children.

I am pleased that the maternity services at Chesterfield Royal have a good rating from the CQC, but there are inequalities in care nationally. The fact that babies from BAME mothers are dying at a higher frequency is truly tragic and steps must be taken to tackle these inequalities and bring the frequency of baby loss down as a whole.”

Sands has calculated that if between 2017 and 2021, stillbirth & neonatal death rates were the same for Black and Asian babies as white babies, 1,704 babies would have survived. The #EndInequalityInBabyLoss campaign is calling for action across the Government, NHS and professional bodies to make care safer, and more equitable, to save Black and Asian babies’ lives.

Toby Perkins, who is supporting the campaign, has previously spoken to GB News about his personal experience of this tragic event and the interview is available at:

https://www.gbnews.com/politics/mps-bravely-reveal-personal-pain-of-child-loss-ahead-of-new-bill-aiming-to-support-bereaved-parents-a-little-bit-of-you-dies/400222