Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what standardised guidance is available to NHS maternity services regarding a) paternal involvement and b) support for fathers in childbirth.

National bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Royal College of Midwives have issued guidelines emphasising the importance of involving fathers and partners in maternity and perinatal care. These guidelines set expectations for trusts to adopt family-centred care and to treat fathers as active participants, not just visitors or observers. These resources are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng201/chapter/recommendations#:~:text=Antenatal%20classes-,1.3.,NICE%20guideline%20on%20postnatal%20care

https://rcm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/engaging_dads_pocket_guide.pdf

The Department and NHS England do not hold data on the proportion of births in National Health Service facilities at which a father is present.