Mum calls for routine strep tests during pregnancies

A mum who tested positive for Group B streptococcus (GBS) during her pregnancy has taken her calls to introduce regular screening for the bacteria to Downing Street.

Leona Hayes, from Chinnor in Oxfordshire, was diagnosed with the condition when she was 34 weeks pregnant following a check for reduced foetal movement.

She has since launched a campaign to introduce widespread Group B strep screening for pregnant women, and on Wednesday took her mission to Whitehall.

The Department of Health and Social Cares (DHSC) said it was funding a trial to determine the effectiveness of routine testing for GBS for all women.

Hayes, who is a teacher and is still on maternity leave, said her positive test for GBS had been "pure luck". "If I hadn't gone up for a check-up I may have not known."

She was warned about risks involved with her water breaking as a result of the diagnosis, and was "extra vigilant" when exactly that happened at 36 weeks.

Although her daughter was born prematurely, she was healthy - but other mother's up and down the country have not been as fortunate.

According to the NHS, Group B strep is a type of bacteria that is very common in both men and women and is normally harmless to those carrying it.

However, it can prove dangerous both during and after pregnancies - and can lead to miscarriages or babies falling seriously ill following their birth.

"Most people don't have a clue [they have it] until baby's poorly and they start showing symptoms, which can lead to sepsis or meningitis," Hayes said.

"What we're really pushing for is that you haven't got an absolute clue and just a simple swab or simple urine sample could sort of tell us if a mum's positive or not."

She said the proposal to offer routine testing to pregnant women in the UK provided "such a simple solution" to the issue.

"Just a urine sample dip could save lives and save all this trauma," she added.

Such testing is already commonplace in much of the globe, including in the United States, western Europe and Australia.

Hayes took her petition to Number 10 on Wednesday, which she said "meant a lot" for a "mum who's on maternity leave trying to get through day to day".

A DHSC spokesperson said: "We are funding a trial to determine the effectiveness of routine testing for GBS for all women – either in late pregnancy or on admission for labour – compared to the current approach of risk-based screening.

"The independent UK National Screening Committee will review its recommendation based on the evidence from the trial.

"The Secretary of State has made improving maternity services a personal priority and is chairing the national maternity and neonatal taskforce to ensure the reforms needed to deliver safer care for every mother and baby are implemented."

The BBC has also contacted the Cabinet Office and the NHS for a comment on the proposals.