Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of pregnant women have been given a named midwife since November 2012.

Information on the number of women who have been given a named midwife is currently not collected centrally.

The Mandate between the Government and NHS England states that every woman should have a named midwife who is responsible for ensuring she has personalised, one-to-one care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and during the postnatal period. Through the assurance process with NHS England we monitor progress against all mandate commitments. A refresh of the current maternity commissioning guidance for clinical commissioning groups is under way and will include guidance on commissioning services to deliver the named midwife. NHS England is working with the Care Quality Commission on plans to monitor the commitment as part of their maternity services inspections.