Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what comparative information his Department holds on the length of time women stay in health facilities after giving birth in the UK and other developed countries; and if he will commission a review into the process of discharging women from maternity wards.

We do not hold the comparative data requested.

The length of stay in a maternity unit following delivery of a baby is a matter of clinical judgement of the professionals involved in the mother’s care. In line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on Routine postnatal care of women and their babies, this decision should be reached following discussion with the mother and take into account the health and well-being of the woman and her baby and the level of support available to her following discharge.

The Care Quality Commission 2015 survey of women’s experience of maternity care found that the length of time spent in hospital after giving birth for the majority of women in 2015 is 36% staying for one to two days after the delivery. 72% of women said the length of their hospital stay was ‘about right’. Full details of the survey can be found here:

http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/maternity-services-survey-2015

We have no plans to commission a review of discharge procedures.