Sefton Central MP Bill Esterson has welcomed confirmation from Public Health England that the Government body recommends that women drink no alcohol while pregnant or trying to conceive.
The Shadow Business Minister, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and whose adopted son has the condition, wrote to Public Health England chief executive Duncan Selbie seeking clarification as to what advice women were receiving regarding alcohol in pregnancy.
Mr Selbie responded to say that PHE supports the current UK chief medical officers’ guidelines which state that if a woman is pregnant or think they might become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all, to keep risks to the baby to a minimum. The guidelines also state that drinking in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to a baby and the more alcohol that is consumed the greater the risk.
FASD describes a range of conditions, including physical problems and learning and behavioural difficulties, which occur due to exposure to alcohol in the womb.
Mr Esterson has been a long-time campaigner with regards to raising awareness of the condition and improving support for those with the condition and their families.
He said: “I welcome this news from Public Health England that they support the chief medical officers’ view that the only safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy is none. It has taken a long time to come to this point because for many years the NICE guidelines have suggested that one or two units a week after 12 weeks pregnancy is OK. But no amount of alcohol in pregnancy can be considered safe and women must be given the correct information so they can make informed choices when they are pregnant or trying to conceive.”
Mr Selbie’s letter outlined new research that is being conducted by the University of Salford into the prevalence of FASD. Mr Esterson welcomed the study and said previous work by Bristol University had shown that as many as 17 per cent of all children could be impacted by FASD and that 79 per cent of women drank some alcohol while pregnant.
The MP has written back to Mr Selbie to ask what steps Public Health England is taking to ensure that best practice is introduced across the UK with regard to advice given to women while pregnant and trying to conceive. He also asked that Public Health England consider an awareness-raising campaign across all healthcare sites and anywhere where alcohol is sold.
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