Alison Bennett's Monday Mail: Pause
Today’s newsletter has a special focus on maternity and babies following a series of special meetings and important announcements last week.
Pause
Last September I wrote a column for the Mid Sussex Times about the work of a charity called ‘Pause’. Pause helps women who have had a child taken into care rebuild their lives and break the cycle of repeat pregnancies and care proceedings. Pause is supported by West Sussex County Council, but in many areas across the UK, this support does not exist.
Last Wednesday I was really pleased that we were able to hold a meeting with women who have been helped by Pause and the Minister for Children and Families Janet Daby. Too often in politics it is the people with money and influence who get access to government. It felt good to have helped give these fearless women that same opportunity. My hope is that the government will be able to see the value to people’s lives and the savings to the state of supporting the work of Pause, and enable their services to be made available across the country.
Maternity Services
On Monday, the government announced a national investigation into NHS maternity services in England. This will include a particular focus upon Sussex which I welcome because I know there are local families who lost their babies and who have been calling for answers for a number of years. However, the 2022 Ockenden Review set out a series of nationwide Immediate and Essential Actions that must be put in place without delay so that no more families experience avoidable heartbreak. I spoke about these issues in interviews with ITV Meridian and BBC South East last week, and you can watch both clips on my Instagram account to hear more about why this matters so much.
Group B Strep Support
On Friday, I had the pleasure of catching up with Jane, Oliver and the fantastic team behind Group B Strep Support at their Haywards Heath HQ.
Group B Streptococcus (or GBS) is a type of bacteria carried by around 20 - 40% of adults. Whilst it’s harmless to most, it can cause serious illness in newborn babies, such as sepsis, pneumonia or meningitis. In the UK, around 800 babies are affected every year, with approximately 50 sadly dying and 75 left with long-term disabilities.
Group B Strep Support is the world-leading charity campaigning to prevent these tragedies: they offer information and support to affected families, raise awareness among health professionals, and push for improved screening and prevention practices.
Ahead of Group B Strep Awareness week - when I will host an event in Parliament for other MPs to learn more about the condition - it was good to have a wide ranging conversation with Jane and Oliver about maternity care, and how we can improve the outcomes for people who carry Group B Strep. I’m fully behind their calls for routine prenatal testing, better awareness, and stronger support. Every parent deserves the peace of mind that their baby is safe.
I am on Instagram
I have finally joined Instagram, you can follow me here. Maybe TikTok will follow in about a decade.
Getting in touch
My parliamentary email address is: alison.bennett.mp@parliament.uk. If you need my help, please get in touch.
Best wishes,
Alison
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