Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that parents receive timely mental health and wellbeing support in the event that their baby has been admitted to a neonatal unit during the ​covid-19 outbreak.

We are taking steps to protect the mental health of parents during the perinatal period, including ensuring parents are able to visit and be involved in their child’s care as much as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. The NHS Long Term Plan includes new measures to improve safety, quality and continuity of care and a commitment for a further 24,000 women to be able to access specialist perinatal mental health care by 2023/24. This care will also be available from preconception to 24 months after birth, which will provide an extra year of support. Partners of women accessing specialist care will be able to access an assessment for their mental health and signposting to support as required.