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 8 July 2019 to Question 272159, what assessment he has made of the merits of the recommendations made in the Birth Companions Report entitled Birth Charter for women in prisons in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

No formal assessment has been made.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are responsible for commissioning healthcare services in prisons in England. It is working closely with Public Health England and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service on a review of how current practice meets the Gender Specific Standards for Women in Prison to improve health and wellbeing, published in March 2019. Standards are included around the care of pregnant and post pregnant women.

NHS England is developing a mental health perinatal service to ensure maternity services meet the needs of pregnant and post-partum women across the estate.