Written question asked by Rachael Maskell (Labour) on Tuesday, 30 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 July 2026 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Tuesday, 7 July 2026. A substantive answer was provided by Diana Johnson (Labour) on Thursday, 3 September 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Postpartum Haemorrhage

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve understanding of the reasons for the rise in postpartum haemorrhage rates.

Answer

NHS England is working to improve the timely clinical response to obstetric haemorrhage through the Maternal Care Bundle, which aims to improve the management of haemorrhage through timely identification, escalation, and response to obstetric bleeding, along with ongoing, multidisciplinary review and learning.

Significant improvements in data coverage and data quality over recent years mean that in September 2025, 92% of National Health Service trusts were included in the analysis of Maternity Services Data Set birth and postpartum haemorrhage information, compared with 30% in September 2020. The referenced increase in postpartum haemorrhage rates may be influenced by this improvement in reporting in addition to any rise in clinical incidence. The Maternal Care Bundle will further improve the identification of haemorrhages over 1,500 millilitres by requiring providers to cumulatively measure blood loss, which is likely to further increase the reported rate in future years.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 14372
Session: 2026-27
Subjects: Postpartum haemorrhage
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Postpartum Haemorrhage

Secondary information

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