Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the data collected through maternity situation reports, what progress his Department has made in ensuring parents have unrestricted access to their babies on neonatal units.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have worked closely with trusts to adopt the actions set out in updated guidance ‘Supporting pregnant women using maternity services during the coronavirus pandemic’ to remove barriers which prevent trusts being able to facilitate full parental presence in neonatal units. NHS England and NHS Improvement are assured that 100% of trusts report they are actively using the guidance.