A few weeks ago MBRRACE-UK published their annual Perinatal Mortality Surveillance Report on stillbirths and neonatal deaths in the UK for the year 2020.

This year the report set out the different causes of death in babies, including infectious causes, and the statistics for each. These statistics showed that group B Strep was the leading single infectious cause of such deaths in 2020. GBS alone was identified as the cause of seven stillbirths and 10 neonatal deaths in just that one year.

Whilst not all stillbirths and neonatal deaths can be prevented, JMW Solicitors LLP are joining the call by group B Strep charity, GBSS, for action to be taken to reduce the numbers of babies dying due to GBS. With GBS there are proven ways of reducing the number of deaths and injury that it would be easy to adopt now, in particular:

• Ensure all pregnant women are given information regarding GBS. Many women have never heard of group B Strep and are not told about it, despite the risks it carries. Many, like the clients we act for, find out too late when sadly already their baby has been infected. Whilst all women should be being told about group B strep during their pregnancies, they are still not.
• Bring in routine screening for GBS in all pregnancies. Currently not all women are tested in the UK so many women do not know if they are carrying GBS or not. 
• In the absence of routine screening, all women should be told about the possibility of private testing which costs just £11.
• Ensure anti-biotics are given during labour to those who test positive for GBS.

The MBRRACE report also revealed that there were 41 stillbirths and 9 neonatal deaths in 2020 caused by infection but for which the cause is described as “unspecified or other”. That raises the possibility that of the additional 50 babies some also died because of GBS but the cause was not identified. This would fit with our experience of talking to many new mothers whose babies have been injured or have died who do not know if they had an infection during labour or, if they did, the cause of that infection. This not only leaves the cause of many deaths unknown, but also many parents not knowing if they had GBS or not which is vital information when it comes to their next pregnancy.

As well as reducing the known incidence of deaths caused by GBS we consider more should be done to identify where GBS may play a part in the stillbirths and neonatal deaths in which the cause is unknown, and in particular:

• Families should have the possibility of post-death investigations discussed with them fully and sensitively. A number of the families we talk to are not offered tests or are discouraged from having a post-mortem, for example, and many then regret it.
• The government should introduce inquests for stillbirths, Inquests into stillbirths occurring at or after the 37th week of pregnancy were first consulted on in 2019. Despite the House of Commons Justice Committee recommending that the Ministry of Justice should revive the consultation and publish proposals for reform in May 2021, we are still waiting.

Nicola Wainwright, Head of Clinical Negligence-London, at JMW Solicitors LLP said “Given that there is now clear statistical evidence of the devastating effect that group B Strep can have, we, like GBSS, call for action to be taken. We consider that there should be renewed emphasis of the right of parents to be to be informed of the risks their baby may face and how they can reduce those risks and that routine testing should be introduced in the UK.

We also consider that more should be done to investigate the worrying numbers of babies dying in the UK so that families are fully informed of the cause of death, including if they did have GBS, lessons can be learnt and other improvements made so as to reduce the tragic unnecessary loss of babies’ lives each year”