Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what emergency support is in place for pregnant women affected by temporary closures of NHS maternity units throughout England.

The Government recognises that the safety of mother and baby is paramount. Maternity services are a vital part of that but it is not possible to plan the exact time and place of birth, meaning there are occasions when a unit cannot safely accept more women into their care. In such cases, the only safe alternative is to close the unit temporarily.

It is important of course, that where a unit closes, there are systems and guidelines in place to ensure pregnant women have access to the next closest maternity unit, where they are often diverted during such scenarios, as well as access to the type of care they have chosen, including midwifery-led care. Temporary closures in National Health Service maternity units are subject to well rehearsed safety measures which we expect trusts to use in order to safely manage peaks in admissions.