Preterm Birth Committee
Preterm birth: reducing risks and improving lives

Report of Session 2024-25 - published 14 November 2024 - HL Paper 30

Contents

Summary

Summary of conclusions and recommendations

Chapter 1: Introduction

Background to the inquiry

Preterm birth

Table 1: Preterm live births and stillbirths in England in 2022

Provision and co-ordination of care

Table 2: Organisations involved in the funding and delivery of maternity and neonatal care

National targets, guidance and policy

Box 1: The Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle

The inquiry and the work of the Committee

Chapter 2: The case for change

The impact of preterm birth

Impact on babies born preterm

Impact on parents and families

The economic cost of preterm birth

The national ambition to reduce preterm birth

Progress towards the maternity safety ambition

Figure 1: Preterm birth rates in England between 2017 and 2022 and trajectory required to meet 2025 target

Inequalities in preterm birth incidence and outcomes

Updating the maternity safety ambition targets

Chapter 3: Risk factors and prevention

Risk factors for preterm birth

Pregnancy-related factors

Box 2: Preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM)

Wider health and social factors

Interventions to prevent preterm birth

Current policies and guidance

Figure 2: Screening and preventive treatments

Benefits and limitations

Box 3: The Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance

Public health

Chapter 4: Optimising obstetric and neonatal care

Implementing national guidance

Inconsistent implementation

Reducing variation in care

Box 4: PERIPrem

Staffing

Multidisciplinary teams

Staffing shortages

Box 5: Midwife continuity of carer

Family integrated care

Benefits of family integrated care

Barriers to delivery

Chapter 5: Follow-up care and support

Care and support needs following discharge from hospital

Box 6: The Netherlands TOP programme

Health visiting services

The need for tailored health visitor support

Enhanced support and surveillance for babies born preterm

The transition to school

Accessing support in educational settings

Deferring or delaying school entry

Chapter 6: Research

Research priorities

Barriers to research

Funding

Research capacity

Insurance and regulation

Data

Appendix 1: List of Members and Declarations of Interest

Appendix 2: List of Witnesses

Appendix 3: Call for evidence

Appendix 4: Note on the Committee’s visit to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

Appendix 5: Glossary

Evidence is published online at https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/701/preterm-birth-committee/publications/ and available for inspection at the Parliamentary Archives (020 7219 3074).

Q in footnotes refers to a question in oral evidence.





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