A House of Lords committee has called on the government and NHS England to act to reduce preterm births and provide greater support for the parents of babies born before 37 weeks.
The Preterm Birth Committee’s report, Preterm birth: reducing risks and improving lives,1 says the evidence is “unequivocal” that the national target to reduce the rate of preterm birth in England to 6% by 2025 will not be met. The target was introduced in 2017 when the rate was 8% but there has been little progress since then, with 7.9% of babies born preterm in 2022.
The committee gathered evidence from parents, charities, academics, healthcare professionals, NHS England, and the Department of Health and Social Care. …
