Nottinghamshire woman backs reform of miscarriage care after six pregnancy losses
New care model could improve support for women and reduce pregnancy loss, charity says
Last updated 29th Apr 2026
A leading pregnancy and baby charity is calling for nationwide change to miscarriage care across the UK, after a pilot scheme showed that earlier intervention could prevent more than 10,000 pregnancy losses each year.
Graded Model of Miscarriage Care:
Tommy’s is urging the NHS to adopt its “Graded Model of Miscarriage Care” following promising results from a pilot led by its National Centre for Miscarriage Research alongside Birmingham Women’s Hospital.
The model offers women tailored support from their first miscarriage, rather than waiting until after three losses — the threshold typically required for further investigation under current NHS care.
The findings suggest that earlier support helps identify treatable risk factors sooner and improves outcomes for women and families.
It would look at offering women support after each miscarriage, not just the third:
- After first miscarriage: One-to-one consultation and early support, with progesterone offered in future pregnancies if there is early bleeding
- After second miscarriage: Blood tests for treatable conditions (e.g. anaemia, thyroid issues) and reassurance scans in future pregnancies
- After third miscarriage: Referral to specialist clinics for advanced investigations, including genetic testing and scans
At present, many women receive little or no follow-up after one or two miscarriages, with care often described as inconsistent. Tommy’s says this delay can leave families without answers or access to treatments that could reduce the risk of further loss.
For women like Laura Corcoran, the need for change is deeply personal.
Laura Corcoran, who's from Retford, has experienced six miscarriages. She said it was her third loss that exposed serious gaps in care and pushed her to campaign for better support.
Corcoran described a traumatic experience during that third miscarriage, when she was unable to access hospital care and was forced to manage the process at home.
“I was told there was no room and to come back in two weeks,” she said. “I ended up miscarrying at home… I had to use a kitchen sieve and store my baby in a takeaway container because there was no support available.”
She said the lack of dignity and medical guidance during such a vulnerable time can have lasting emotional consequences.
“Treating people with respect during their most vulnerable moments saves them a lifetime of trauma,” she added.
Miscarriage Collection Cradle:
Corcoran has since developed the Miscarriage Collection Cradle, a device designed to give women more dignity and choice during miscarriage. It is now being used in 28 hospitals, with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde among those adopting it as standard care.
She is also calling for wider national rollout, arguing that improving miscarriage care is both humane and cost-effective.
“It’s not only the right thing to do for women, it would also save the NHS money,” she said, pointing to estimates that partial adoption could save millions and free up thousands of hospital appointments.
Tommy's Graded Care Model:
Tommy’s estimates that a full year of implementing its graded care model could save more than £40 million across the UK, factoring in reduced NHS costs and wider societal impacts.
While Scotland has already begun integrating the approach into its care pathway, the charity is now urging policymakers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to follow suit. The UK Government has said it will review the findings as part of its Women’s Health Strategy for England.
Around 250,000 pregnancies are estimated to end in miscarriage each year in the UK, though the true figure is unknown due to a lack of centralised data collection, another issue Tommy’s is calling on the NHS to address.
For Corcoran and others, they say earlier support would be revolutionary during the process of going through any miscarriage.