Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,what steps his Department is taking to increase funding for new mothers' postnatal checks.
Currently, there are no plans to increase funding for new mothers' postnatal checks. However, Better Births, the report of the National Maternity Review, published in February 2016, outlined that better postnatal care was a key requirement for improved maternity services. It recommended that women should have access to their midwife and obstetrician as they require after having had their baby, as well as the need to ensure a smooth transition to on-going care in the community from their general practitioner and health visitor. Forty-four Local Maternity Systems (LMS) have come together across sustainability and transformation partnership footprints to lead the transformation of local maternity services in England, and are implementing plans to deliver the vision of Better Births, including the recommendations on better postnatal care. Additional national support will be provided to LMS by NHS England, which has convened an Expert Reference Group to advise on further opportunities make improvement in this important time for women and babies.