I regularly receive “campaign emails” in relation to a variety of topics.
These emails are typically automatically generated. As such, I receive many hundreds if not thousands.
It is therefore not practical for me to respond personally to each of these.
Instead, I publish the response on my website. This can be found below.
Please be assured this policy only applies to automatically generated communications.
If you send me personalised correspondence, on this or any subject, then I will of course respond individually, and address any points raised.
***
Thank you for writing to me concerning baby deaths in Wales.
It should be a point of great shame for the Welsh Government that Wales continues to retain its position as the UK nation with the highest stillbirth rate.
I note the findings of the report by the Sands’ & Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit, including the alarming statistics surrounding the prevalence of stillbirths here in Wales and the sharp contrast between Wales and the other parts of the UK.
I am troubled by the shockingly poor amount of data collection that takes place surrounding miscarriages here in Wales, we need far more robust data gathering for healthcare purposes and a greater emphasis on recruitment and retention of healthcare workers. Not only would this improve overall provision in the Welsh NHS, it would help to tackle some of the biggest obstacles in the way of bringing down the rate of stillbirths occurring here in Wales.
My colleague Sam Rowlands MS, the Shadow Minister for Health, will push for the Welsh Government to commit to specific targets regarding pregnancy loss and baby deaths, as well as to back them up with sufficient resources, policy focus and improvements in data gathering.
I thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Kind regards,
Andrew
—————————————————————————————————————-
Dear X,
I am writing to you about targets to reduce baby deaths in Wales, and to ask that you raise this urgent issue with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.
According to the latest Saving Babies Lives report from the Sands’ and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit, the stillbirth rate in Wales remains the highest of any UK nation. Although the stillbirth rate has declined overall since 2010, there has been little progress in reducing deaths since 2018.
There has also been a lack of sustained progress in reducing the neonatal mortality rate in Wales. You can read the full report here: https://www.sands.org.uk/sites/default/files/Saving_Babies_Lives_2024_Wa…
Despite these shocking statistics, there are still no targets to reduce stillbirths and neonatal deaths in Wales. In England, there is an ambition to half the number of stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
The Welsh Government must commit to specific targets to reduce pregnancy loss and baby deaths, and eliminate inequalities in loss.
Sands, and their Joint Policy Unit, have called for these targets to be driven by a comprehensive programme of policy activity, with the right funding and resources behind it. This should include policies such as a national data dashboard to monitor changes in deaths across the country, robust and regular reviews of maternity services, and more consistent surveys of patient and staff experiences.
It’s no secret that maternity services in Wales are in crisis. These high death rates, combined with closed services, and numerous high-profile safety scandals at different hospitals, have contributed to a tragic and urgent situation – with frontline staff under huge pressure.
Change is needed. We must save babies lives.
As my Member of the Senedd, I hope you will take the time to raise this issue with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.
I look forward to your response.