Summary
This is an Adjournment Debate from the House of Commons on Wednesday 7 December 2022 on fatalities relating to foetal valproate spectrum disorder.
Content
What is an Adjournment Debate?
There is a 30 minute Adjournment Debate at the end of each day's sitting of the House of Commons. They provide an opportunity for an individual backbench MP to raise an issue and receive a response from the relevant Minister. Unlike many other debates, these take place without a question which the House of Commons must then make a decision on.
Foetal valproate spectrum disorder: Fatalities
Caroline Nokes, MP for Romsey and Southampton North, opened this debate by talking about the case of Jake Alcroft, a 21-year-old who died in April this year after an infection triggered by problems with his kidneys. The coroner listed foetal valproate syndrome as a contributing factor to his death because of the physical damage done to Jake as an exposed baby, which meant that his bowel and bladder did not work properly and he relied on urostomy and colostomy bags.
Some key points highlighted in this debate included:
- Warnings about sodium valproate and the risks during pregnancy are still not being consistently displayed on pharmacy prescriptions.
- Some of the recommendations made in relation to this by the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety (IMMDS) Review have still not been implemented effectively.
- There are concerns that the illness can continue down the generations, and that is not yet well understood but it is causing real fear for the families who have been affected so far.
Towards the end of this debate, Caroline Nokes made three requests for the Minister:
- To acknowledge that sodium valproate has contributed to a death.
- Asking if she was satisfied that the pregnancy prevention programme is adequately effective and that the information is properly communicated to women of child-bearing age.
- Calling for redress for patients and families affected by this, as recommended by the IMMDS Review.
Maria Caulfield MP, Minister for Mental Health and the Women's Health Strategy, provided the Government response at the end of this debate.
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