Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 24596 on Caesarean Sections, what steps he is taking with NHS England to ensure that women are not unnecessarily discouraged from having elective caesarean sections.

NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services recognises the importance of listening to women and families. It aims to ensure that women have clear choices, supported by unbiased information and evidence-based guidelines, and that all women are offered personalised care and support plans.

Personalised care and support plans take account of physical health, mental health, social complexities, and choices. Personalised care includes open, honest, and ongoing dialogue between a woman, her midwife, and other clinicians, to understand the care she wants.

If a woman would prefer a caesarean for non-medical reasons, they can ask their midwife or doctor, who will explain the overall benefits and risks of a caesarean to the woman and their baby compared with a vaginal birth. If, after discussing all the risks and hearing about all the support on offer, a woman feels that a vaginal birth is not an acceptable option, they should be offered a planned caesarean.