Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that a woman can be accompanied to (a) maternity appointments, (b) antenatal classes and (c) the birth of their child.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, women have been able to have one birth partner of their choice with them during labour and childbirth as long as their birth partner is well and does not have COVID-19 symptoms. The National Health Service is making arrangements to ensure that women are supported and cared for safely through pregnancy, birth and the period afterwards during this pandemic.

A new ‘Framework to assist NHS trusts to reintroduce access for partners, visitors and other supporters of pregnant women in English maternity services’ was published on 8 September 2020.