Still births: a special report

Few incidents are as distressing as a stillbirth.

The numbers of stillbirths in England and Wales has fallen gradually during the last 20 years and most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a 1.1 per cent decline to 3,112 in 2016 from 3, 147 the previous year.

The figures show that in 2016, the England and Wales stillbirth rate fell to 4.4 per cent of all 1,000 births. This is the lowest stillbirth rate since 1992 when it was 4.3 per cent and represents a　general downward trend during the last 10 years with an overall 19 per cent decrease since 2006.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines stillbirth as a baby’s death after 28 weeks of pregnancy. In the UK, if a baby dies before 24 completed weeks of pregnancy, it known as a miscarriage or late foetal loss.

UK stillbirth and neonatal charity, SANDS, which says that 15 babies die before, during or soon after birth every day in the UK, provides free help through a national helpline, forum and network of support groups.

The charity also trains thousands of midwives, doctors and other professionals　to provide the care and support parents need when their baby has died and is pioneering a National Bereavement Care Pathway　to make providing excellent bereavement care a priority for all hospitals.

The factors involved in stillbirth are complex. Efforts to reduce their incidence have not always been effective and sadly, in some cases, medical and care failings are still implicated. In a special report, Harrowells’ specialist clinical negligence team has looked at the issue, the work of the charity SANDS and speaks to two women whose stories of stillbirths 30 years apart show how the NHS response is changing. Hopefully, with advances in medical science and improvements in maternity care, the stillbirth rate will see a sustained reduction.

Link to the Harrowells CNCI special report

Link to SANDS' website