Following Sands and Grazia’s presentation of our `Stop the stillbirth scandal campaign’ petition to Public Health Minister, Anne Milton on the steps of 10 Downing Street, the team has been in to meet with the Minister to discuss our joint calls for more government funding into research.

We had a very positive meeting with Anne, who is taking a close personal interest in the area of stillbirth prevention. Whilst she did state that her department doesn’t ring fence money for specific research, Sands is working closely with her officials at the Department of Health to host a conference in Spring 2012 to consider what more can be done to reduce the number of stillborn babies.

Anne Milton: 'Sands are to be congratulated for continuing to campaign to reduce the number of still births.  Much more needs to be done to reduce these numbers and we will continue to do what we can working closely with Sands and other organisations.  The tragic loss of babies has far reaching consequences to parents, families and friends.'

This is the first conference of its kind ever to happen in England and serves to underlie the importance now being placed at the highest levels of government to preventing babies’ deaths.

We’ll keep you updated on progress with this major conference, which will bring together key government officials, clinicians, researchers, Royal Colleges, and charities involved in maternity and stillbirth. So watch this space!