Baby Loss Awareness is an subject which is so tantalisingly close to my heart and, as an MP, it has been one of my key policy priorities during the years since I was elected. I have worked hard across every year to raise awareness of this subject and much progress has been made by all the various charities I have worked closely with to support parents who have experienced baby loss. I am also impressed with the policy change which has largely come about due to the work of myself and some of my colleagues, such as Antoinette Sandbach, to inspire this much-needed changes. A notable example of this has been the policies introduced to drive the reduction of the number of stillbirths in the UK, which is sadly significantly higher than in other similar countries.
One of the key commitments in the NHS Long Term Plan published in January 2019 is to make the NHS one of the safest places in the world to give birth and this is very much welcome news. I know that the Department of Health and Social Care has set out a range of new measures to deliver its ambition to halve the rates of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and brain injuries that occur during or soon after labour, and maternal deaths by 2025, through the Saving Babies' Lives care bundle, with the updated version implemented by March 2020. I am also encouraged by the Government's collaboration with charities, such as Sands, Bliss, Tommy's and others, to raise awareness of the preventative measures which can be taken to reduce the rate of stillbirths and ensure more healthy babies are born each year.
The focus of this year's Baby Loss Awareness Week was ensuring that all parents who experience pregnancy and baby loss and need specialist psychological support can access it. In view of this, I particularly welcome the commitment through the NHS Long Term Plan to increase mental health support funding by £2.3bn per year by 2023/24. As part of this I know that care provided by specialist perinatal mental health services will be available from preconception to 24 months after birth.
There is always much planning to do, in my own constituency of Colchester, in Westminster, and indeed the wider country, to prepare for Baby Loss Awareness Week each year. As a Government Minister, I was frustratingly unable to speak in the Baby Loss Awareness Week Debate this year in the House of Commons, but I nevertheless attended the debate on the front bench in order to offer my support to my parliamentary colleagues taking part. From listening to the whole debate, there was a lot to be positive about but it was notable that there was also a huge amount of work still to do.
As Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt kick-started a huge amount of work in this area and his legacy will be seen for many years to come as the rates of miscarriage, stillbirth and neo-natal deaths fall. However, we all must never forget that behind the stats lie a baby and a grieving family. One avoidable death is one too many, and I have been so pleased and overwhelmed to see the attention received for this issue in Parliament and in Government that has been so vital to break the silence over it. I would also like to take this opportunity to finally thank all the many charities that provide the crucial support to grieving parents and who campaign for change.