Includes failures in the dedicated feticide and post-feticide care process, including clinically appropriate feticide decisions and timing, sensitive and understandable information for parents, management of infection and retained fetal remains, delivery planning, specialist advice and multidisciplinary coordination.
What is not included
Excludes general abortion, termination-of-pregnancy or maternity-care deficiencies where feticide or post-feticide care is not the material safety concern.
Excludes generic communication or information deficiencies unless they directly concern explaining the feticide process to parents or communicating its associated risks and decisions.
Excludes routine neonatal or maternal care after the feticide-related process has been safely completed, unless the reported deficiency remains part of post-feticide management.
Excludes unrelated fetal-loss, premature-labour and bereavement concerns without a direct feticide or post-feticide care connection.
Trends
Reports over time
Reports mentioning this concern, over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Department of Health and Social Care1
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust1
North Devon District Hospital1
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists1
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust1
NHS trust2
Healthcare site1
Health professional body1
Ministerial department1
Reports and published responses 3 reports
See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response
Worcestershire
Concerns raised2
Failure to give due weight to infection risk from retained foetus in delivery discussions following feticide
Lack of specific guidance for managing infection risk following feticide
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust
Review fetal-loss guidance to reflect updated induction guidance and the additional infection risk following feticide.
Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust
Amend local guidelines to require prompt sepsis-bundle activation and avoid attributing maternal temperature solely to misoprostol.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.2
Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust
Further guidance on delivery following feticide should ideally come from a national body or a tertiary unit where feticide is performed.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust
Current induction-of-labour guidance, implemented amendments and shared learning are considered sufficient pending any regional or national guidance.
Existing arrangements considered sufficientThe respondent said that existing arrangements were sufficient, so no further action was needed.
Manchester (West)
Concerns raised1
Lack of a sensitive, lay-language leaflet fully explaining the feticide process to parents
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Exeter & Greater Devon
Concerns raised1
Restriction of feticide use before induction of labour for late terminations until after the relevant gestational date
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.