Lords Preterm Birth Committee hears from NHS England and DHSC

The session can be followed live or afterwards on Parliament TV or in person in Committee Room 3, Palace of Westminster on Thursday 5 September from 10am.

Giving evidence from NHS England from 10am will be:

• Kate Brintwort, Chief Midwifery Officer;
• Professor Donald Peebles, National Clinical Director for Maternity.

Giving evidence from the Department for Health and Social Care from 11am will be:

• Baroness Merron, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient. Safety, Women's Health and Mental Health.
• Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser.
• Fiona Walshe, Director of Mental Health, Disabilities and Maternity.

Topics include:

• improving the primary prevention of preterm birth, and addressing disparities in preterm birth rates and outcomes;
  
  
• the feasibility of the current target to reduce the preterm birth rate in England to 6% by 2025;
  
  
• funding for research relating to pregnancy and neonatology, including research to understand the basic science of parturition;
  
  
• support for preterm babies and their families during neonatal care and following discharge;
  
  
• staffing levels in maternity and neonatal services, and how these impact care for mothers at risk of preterm birth and preterm babies.