The Committee’s original inquiry

The National Assembly for Wales’ Health and Social Care Committee undertook a one-day inquiry into stillbirths in Wales during 2012/13.

The terms of reference for the inquiry were to examine the awareness, implementation and effectiveness of current guidance and recommendations across the different sectors with regard to stillbirth prevention, especially in relation to poor fetal growth and reduced fetal movements, and where potential improvements can be made.

The Committee held a public consultation to gather evidence on this topic. 

The Committee’s report

The Committee reported (PDF, 708KB) in February 2013. The Welsh Government responded (PDF, 297KB) in April 2013. The Plenary debate took place in May 2013.

The Committee’s follow-up work

In summer 2014 the Committee agreed to seek an update report from the Minister for Health and Social Services on the progress made to date in implementing the Committee’s recommendations. The Minister for Health and Social Services responded in September 2014.

The Minister’s update (PDF, 386 KB) stated that despite the progress made on the engagement of clinical staff, further work remains to be done to fully implement the Committee’s recommendations. In light of this response the Committee agreed to return to the subject in order to consider how effective the Welsh Government has been in implementing the Committee’s nine recommendations.

In October 2014, the Committee invited those who gave evidence to the original inquiry to provide views on progress to date.

The Committee considered these responses and wrote the Minister for Health and Social Services (PDF, 215 KB) to on 26 February 2015. The Minister for Health and Social Services responded (PDF, 175 KB) on 30 March 2015. The Committee discussed the Minister’s response at its meeting on 29 April. In light of the response, the Committee noted that no further follow-up work was needed at this stage, and agreed to close the inquiry.