EDDISBURY MP Antoinette Sandbach, who lost her five-day-old son to sudden infant death syndrome, has lauded plans for better investigations to be undertaken into stillborn babies.

In a statement to the House on Tuesday, the Secretary of State set out plans for the newly established Healthcare Safety Investigations branch to guarantee an independent investigation from experts into any stillbirth, neonatal or maternal death or severe brain injury during labour.

The UK has one of the worst stillbirth rates in Western Europe with more than 3,000 deaths a year.

In addition, he will announce Government intentions to allow coroners to hold inquests into stillbirths along with bringing forward the target to halve the rate of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries from 2030 to 2025.

Antoinette lost her five-day-old son in 2009 and has previously told her story to the House to raise awareness of sudden infant death syndrome.

She has been campaigning to get better investigations into stillbirths as co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Baby Loss, putting pressure on the Government to make changes in order to improve those services provides by families affected by the loss of a baby.

Alongside her co-chair Will Quince MP, Antoinette Sandbach MP said: “This is a great step forward as part of our wider strategy to address the UK’s relatively poor record on stillbirth and neonatal death rates.

“We support the Health Secretary’s energy and determination to improve standards and hope to continue to work with the Government to make progress on this issue as quickly as possible.

“This will form the foundation into the causes of stillbirths and will hopefully mean more parents will get answers as to why their children have died.

“It is right that coroners will be able to hold inquests as so often babies who lose their lives could have been saved.”