Submitted on Monday 30th March 2020
Rejected on Monday 18th May 2020
Current status: Rejected
Rejection code: irrelevant (see below for details)
Protect the right to have a birth partner during COVID-19
Today I have been told that currently women are not permitted to have their birthing partner with them until they are in established labour, very close to giving birth, and that once the baby is born their partner (if they have made it in time for the birth) must leave right away.
I have also been told measures may get stricter over the next few weeks, meaning that there will be no birthing partner for the duration of the labour and birth. Also, there is no visits allowed if you require an admission to a ward afterwards. This means that potentially, fathers will miss the birth of their child, and the first time they will meet their baby is when mother and baby are discharged. This must be changed to allow women support, and partners fair access to their child’s birth.
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The Government e-Petitions Team gave the following reason:
Decisions about whether birth partners are permitted to attend a birth is a matter for individual hospitals and NHS trusts, and not the Government or House of Commons.
The NHS has published guidance on intrapartum maternity care which states that women should have access to one birth partner during labour, provided they are asymptomatic: www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/04/C0241-specialty-guide-intrapartum-maternity-care-9-april-2020.pdf
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has also produced gudiance which states that women should be able to have a birth partner present during labour and birth: www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/guidelines/coronavirus-pregnancy/covid-19-virus-infection-and-pregnancy/#choices
It is an operational decision for individual hospitals and NHS trusts how to implement this guidance.
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
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