“Grief Must Be the Engine of Change”: Parliament Unites for Baby Loss Awareness Week 2025

On the evening of the 13th October, Parliament came together for one of the most important debates of the year. During Baby Loss Awareness Week, MPs from across the political spectrum shared personal stories and called for continued improvement in maternity and neonatal care.

Families, campaigners and clinicians looked on as their experiences were recognised at the highest level. For MAMA Academy, it was a stark reminder that every statistic represents a baby and a family whose story matters.

Compassion, Accountability and Action

 

1. Mental health and trauma support

Sara Britcliffe MP (Hyndburn and Haslingden) praised East Lancashire Hospitals for adopting the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP) but noted that it remains voluntary. She urged the Government to consider making access to psychological and trauma support a statutory part of maternity care, so that families everywhere receive the same standard of help.

This reflects a long-standing MAMA Academy priority: equitable bereavement and trauma care for every family, delivered by trained, supported professionals.

 

2. “There is no hierarchy of loss”

Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP (Streatham) offered one of the debate’s defining moments:

“There is no scale for sorrow. Baby loss is not the Olympics of grief.”

She reminded the House that every form of pregnancy and baby loss deserves recognition and care, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, neonatal death, or termination for medical reasons.

Ribeiro-Addy also highlighted ongoing disparities. According to MBRRACE-UK 2023, Black women are three times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth than White women, and Asian women twice as likely. Black and Asian babies face a significantly higher risk of stillbirth.

MAMA Academy welcomes the cross-party consensus that these inequalities must end and supports national targets with transparent progress reporting.

 

3. Support for partners and families

Amanda Hack MP spoke about Ashby Sons United,  a men’s football group in her constituency offering peer support to fathers who have experienced loss.

“Sometimes I don’t need to say anything. The lads just know how I feel.”

Too often, fathers and partners are overlooked in bereavement care. MAMA Academy continues to promote whole-family support, recognising the lasting impact of loss on every member of the household.

 

4. Innovation through lived experience

Jo White MP introduced engineer and bereaved mother Laura Coron, creator of the Miscarriage Cradle  a simple, dignified device to help manage miscarriage at home. It aligns with recommendations from the Pregnancy Loss Review for compassionate miscarriage care kits.

So far, 13 NHS Trusts have adopted the cradle, with more expected. This is an example of parents turning pain into progress, innovation grounded in empathy.

 

5. Accountability and learning

Several MPs, including Aaron Bell (Newark) and Michael Payne (Gedling), spoke about the ongoing review of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, where thousands of families are involved. They called for openness, honesty and meaningful learning from past failures.

MAMA Academy supports transparent investigation and family-centred learning whenever care falls short, recognising the courage of those who come forward to create change.

 

6. Preventable deaths and data

David Robertson MP highlighted Group B Strep  a preventable infection affecting babies during birth. He called for consideration of routine testing, pending the results of the ongoing GBS3 Trial (expected 2025).

Shaun Walker MP drew attention to Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy (HIE), an oxygen-related brain injury, urging consistent national data collection and postnatal support.

Accurate data underpins prevention,  a principle central to MAMA Academy’s educational mission.

 

7. Funding, staffing and consistent implementation

Alison Bennett MP raised concerns about changes to maternity improvement funding, projected to reduce from £95 million in 2024/25 to £2 million in 2025/26 and asked how resources will be protected through Integrated Care Boards.
Dr Caroline Johnson MP emphasised workforce challenges and the importance of acting on the forthcoming 10-Year Maternity Plan.

MAMA Academy will continue to monitor how funding and staffing decisions translate into safe, compassionate care for families.

 

8. Reviews and family confidence

Several members referenced the need for independence and trust in maternity investigations.

The Government confirmed that Baroness Amos will lead a rapid investigation into systemic maternity failings. Families in some regions have expressed preferences for certain leadership figures, including Donna Ockenden, who has previously delivered major national reviews.

As one of MAMA Academy’s ambassadors, Donna’s work exemplifies transparency and family engagement. In our coverage we do not comment on individual appointments, but we support independent, family-trusted leadership in all reviews to ensure lasting change.

 

Government Response

Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP delivered a candid closing speech, describing meetings with bereaved families as “the most difficult” of his career.

“What people want to see is action,  and what they need is justice,” he said.
“The ashes of their children sit in boxes smaller than my hand. The least I can do is act.”

He pledged that the Amos investigation would not be another report “sitting on a shelf”, and that its recommendations would be implemented through a minister-led taskforce.

 

Recognition for Staff and Charities

Across the debate, MPs praised the dedication of midwives, obstetricians and neonatal teams who deliver thousands of safe births every week, often under great pressure. Charities including MAMA Academy, Sands, Tommy’s, Bliss and many smaller local groups were thanked for their unwavering support to families.

At MAMA Academy, we echo that appreciation. Our mission is partnership, not blame, working with health professionals to ensure that every pregnancy has the best possible chance of a positive outcome.

Moving Forward

The debate reinforced a shared national commitment: to listen, to learn, and to act.

MAMA Academy will keep advocating for:

-Clear national targets to reduce inequalities and improve outcomes.
-Comprehensive, transparent data on all forms of pregnancy and baby loss.
-Sustained investment and workforce planning for safe, consistent maternity care.
-Independent, family-centred reviews that rebuild trust.

Every baby’s life deserves recognition. Every family deserves care. And every lesson must lead to change.

As families across the UK light candles this week, we stand with them, united in remembrance, compassion, and determination to make birth safer for all.