Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to improve the quality of stay for fathers in the maternity ward.

When a mother chooses to have support from the father or partner during labour, birth, and in the postnatal period, the father or partner should feel welcome to stay with her. Where possible, fathers or partners are offered a chair or fold up bed to enable them to stay with the birth mother. These temporary items are to ensure the flexibility of the space in the room. Many maternity units also have 24-hour access for fathers and partners.

Not all maternity units are currently able to offer accommodation for birth partners. This is due to the size of the inherited estate and historic undercapitalisation across the National Health Service, as highlighted by the Darzi Report. 11 out of the 16 new hospitals to be built as part of the New Hospitals Programme will have maternity and neonatal units, which include parental accommodation.