The House of Commons hosted a General Debate on Monday, 12 October, to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week 2026.
This debate brought parties together to discuss the importance of improvements to maternity, neonatal and bereavement care across the UK. Some of the key points raised included: the importance of mental health support for parents after the loss of a baby and how the UK Government plans to further support families impacted by miscarriage, including the importance of supporting fathers.
You can read the full House of Commons Research Briefing here.
It is relevant to mention that healthcare is a devolved issue. While debates within the House of Commons will have relevance to the discussion around baby loss across the UK, the Scottish Government do operate separately. You can read about the Scottish Government’s plans to improve miscarriage care in Scotland here, and you can read about the Scottish Government's plans to improve maternity and neonatal care here.
The last few years have seen huge strides in support for bereaved parents across the UK. This has included Baby Loss Certificates to acknowledge the life that has been lost and to recognise the devastating grief that parents go through, and unpaid bereavement leave that will come into effect from 2027, allowing both parents to take some time to process their loss together.
But we still have much further to go, and we must keep the discussion going throughout the year.
We want you to know that you will never be alone in your loss and that MISS are here to support you all the way throughout your journey. We will keep pushing for better care for bereaved parents in Scotland and will continue to provide support to families who need us.
As always, whether you’re grieving a loss, trying again, or pregnant after loss, you’re not alone.