Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 4 January 2021 to Question 127680 on Maternity Services: Coronavirus, if he will make it his Department's policy to collect information on the differences in policies at hospital Trusts and the main reasons from Trust risk assessments leading to those differences; what steps he is taking to help Trusts in finding solutions where barriers exist in implementing guidance; and if he will make a statement.

Processes are in place to monitor compliance with the NHS England and NHS Improvement’s guidance ‘Supporting pregnant women using maternity services during the coronavirus pandemic: Actions for NHS providers’ updated in April 2021. No National Health Service trust in England is currently reporting that pregnant women are prevented from taking birth partners or supporters to hospital antenatal appointments, including scans.