Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he is providing to NHS trusts on ensuring that partners are able to be with expectant mothers for the entirety of the birth during the covid-19 outbreak.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, women have been able to have one birth partner of their choice with them during labour and childbirth as long as their birth partner is well and doesn’t have COVID-19 symptoms.

If the birth partner has symptoms of coronavirus, they will not be allowed to go into the maternity suite, to safeguard the health of the woman, other women and babies, and the maternity staff. However, an alternative, well birth partner can attend in their place.