12 people have died while a further 20 cases have been reported, many among elderly people with existing health conditions. The infection risk of contracting group A streptococcal bacterial strain to the public is very low. Treatment with antibiotics is very effective, if started early enough. The local National Health Service continues to work closely with Public Health England and other partners to manage this local incident, and extra infection control measures have been put in place to prevent the infection spreading in the area.

The Department continues to support awareness of Group B streptococcus, alongside the wider international community.

Group B streptococcus is the leading cause of bacterial infection in newborn babies. The Government has recognised there are gaps in the evidence relating to this issue and the National Institute for Health Research has commissioned a trial to compare the clinical and cost effectiveness of universal screening compared with usual risk-based care, which will help to understand more about the potential benefits and harms of this approach.

This is a large-scale and ambitious trial, the results of which will be of interest to the United Kingdom National Screening Committee and will form one piece of the developing evidence picture to inform its future recommendations for screening for Group B streptococcus.

Statutory notification of infectious diseases provides a means to alert public health officials to the occurrence of suspected or confirmed case of a given disease to direct public health action to prevent infection in others. These regulations, standards and guidance can be viewed at the following links:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/659/contents/made

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notifiable-diseases-and-causative-organisms-how-to-report

The majority of infant Group B Streptococcus cases occur sporadically rather than through spread between individuals. As such, there are no specific public health actions recommended at present following the identification of a single case. If new evidence emerges to suggest actions should be initiated, the addition of Group B Streptococcus to the schedule of notifiable diseases will be reviewed.

There are no plans to make Group B streptococcus infection a notifiable disease in England.

NHS Resolution handles clinical negligence claims on behalf of National Health Service organisations and independent sector providers of NHS care in England. All claims received are categorised against pre-defined ‘cause’ codes on its claims management system. The cause code refers to the main cause(s) of the incident in relation to the claim.

NHS Resolution has advised that it is in the process of considering a new cause code for ‘Neonatal’ with a possible sub-code for Group B streptococcus. A decision on this is expected by summer 2019.

NHS Resolution uses the codes to support the production of claims scorecards for NHS trusts which enables trusts to ascertain potential risks within their organisation and assess where local interventions are needed.

The Department is aware of the recent Group B Strep Support report, published in December 2018, regarding clinical negligence costs incurred by the National Health Service relating to cases of Group B Streptococcus.

The Department notes the report’s recommendations regarding adherence to guidelines, which reinforce the Department’s expectation that all health professionals adhere to the relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance and consider that provided by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, as specifically mentioned in the report.

The Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch (HSIB) has now been established and begun rolling out its approach to investigations of unexplained severe brain injury, intrapartum stillbirths, early neonatal and maternal deaths in England so that the NHS learns from what went wrong and uses this to prevent future tragedies. The HSIB will involve families and are in the process of developing an effective family engagement service.

NHS Resolution fully supports improving greater and earlier recognition of this very serious infection in neonates, establishing an early notification scheme for severe harm in maternity in 2016, and reviewing all cases of possible brain injury reported to them, prior to the receipt of a claim.

Public Health England (PHE) ran a sepsis campaign in partnership with the UK Sepsis Trust and the Department from December 2016 to April 2017 targeting parents of young children. The campaign raised awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis and when to seek urgent medical help. The campaign did not focus on the many specific causes of sepsis, such as group B Strep.

Guidance on early onset neonatal group B Strep and other neonatal disease is provided by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, available at:

https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/guidelines/gtg36/

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance is available at:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg149/chapter/4-research-recommendations

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) produces guidelines for good clinical practice in maternity care. Its Green-top guideline: The Prevention of Early –onset Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Disease states, “All pregnant women should be provided with an appropriate information leaflet”.

The Department expects all those involved in commissioning or providing maternity services to implement the recommendations of the RCOG clinical guidance.

Following the United Kingdom National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC’s) meeting in February 2017, the Department accepted the UK NSC’s recommendation that a population-based screening programme for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) carriage should not be offered. The UK NSC will review the evidence for screening once the National Institute of Health Research has published its findings from the clinical trial which compares universal screening for GBS with usual risk based case.

Following the United Kingdom National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC’s) meeting in February 2017, the Department accepted the UK NSC’s recommendation that a population-based screening programme for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) carriage should not be offered. This is because there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the benefits to be gained from screening would outweigh the harms. Guidance on early onset neonatal GBS and other neonatal disease is provided by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is available at:

https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/guidelines/gtg36/

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is available at:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg149/chapter/4-research-recommendations

What steps he is taking to ensure that information on Group B Streptococcus is available to NHS patients.

I know this is a subject about which the hon. Lady cares greatly. I would be very happy to meet her and to bring together the people I work with from Public Health England to see how we can make the best of this new leaflet and make sure it is the best and most important Christmas present.

I thank the Minister—he has anticipated my question. I reassert that, on average, two babies die each month from complications relating to group B strep. Awareness of the effects of that infection is incredibly low. Will the Minister meet me and Group B Strep Support to discuss how we can get this leaflet to mums-to-be at the earliest possible stage?

I thank my parliamentary neighbour for that question. Public Health England is one of the most effective arm’s length bodies with which we work in Government, and it will be working with commissioners and trusts across our country to make sure that this new information is out there with pregnant mums and the most at-risk groups. Members of Parliament have an important role to play with local commissioners and trusts, and I know my hon. Friend will play her part in that.

I welcome the Government’s focus on reducing stillbirths, and I welcome the maternity safety strategy. I particularly welcome this focus on group B strep. Will the Minister outline how he is working locally with hospitals such as Southampton to make sure they are aware of this new focus?

As the Secretary of State has set out, our ambition is for the NHS to be the safest place in the world to give birth. Information on prevention and the implications of a group B streptococcus infection are available on the NHS Choices website. Just today, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists published a new patient information leaflet that, from the new year, will be given to all pregnant women for the first time. Because it is Christmas, I have a copy here for the hon. Lady. [Interruption.] I see she has one, too.

All those involved in commissioning or providing maternity services are expected to be fully aware of the importance of having regard to the most current clinical standards, and that trusts’ local guidance is amended accordingly through internal governance procedures.

Health Education England has produced and continues to develop sepsis educational resources for healthcare professionals. This includes a number of resources to support the learning on sepsis recognition and management across the system in both primary and secondary care.

The principal pathogen of potential concern in neonatal sepsis is Group B Streptococcus (GBS). Following the UK National Screening Committee’s meeting in February 2017, the Government accepted the Committee’s recommendation that a population based screening programme for GBS carriage should not be offered. However, the Chief Scientific Advisor recommended that the National Institute for Health Research should commission a clinical trial to compare universal screening for Group B Streptococcus against usual-risk based care. This has been approved and the trial is expected to complete around the end of 2021.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has published guidance for obstetricians, midwives and neonatologists on the prevention of early-onset (less than seven days of age) neonatal Group B streptococcal disease and for the information to be provided to women, their partners and families. It has also produced an information leaflet for parents-to-be about GBS. Information on GBS is also included in the NHS Pregnancy Book which is given free to all first time pregnant women.

Following the United Kingdom National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC’s) meeting in February 2017, the Government accepted the UK NSC’s recommendation that a population based screening programme for Group B streptococcal (GBS) carriage should not be offered. This is because there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the benefits to be gained from screening would outweigh the harms.

As screening for GBS is not recommended, data as requested is not collected. The Chief Scientific Advisor has recommended that the National Institute of Health Research should commission a clinical trial to compare universal screening for GBS against usual-risk based care. This is to provide better quality evidence to assess the clinical effectiveness, benefits and harms of a screening programme.

Information on GBS in pregnancy can be found on the NHS Choices which can be accessed here:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/pregnancy-infections.aspx