PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Maternity Services (28 June 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) the transition to a midwifery-led Continuity of Carer model is adequately resourced and (b) women who are pregnant after the death of a baby are prioritised for access to that model.

Asked by:
Marsha De Cordova (Labour)

NHS England and NHS Improvement have committed to the rollout of Midwifery Continuity of Carer, so that it becomes the default model of care for women using maternity services across England by March 2023. NHS England and NHS Improvement have provided Local Maternity Systems with £90.05 million from 2018 to 2021 to fulfil transformational objectives, including implementing Continuity of Carer models. An additional £96 million was announced earlier this year in response to the emerging findings from the Ockenden Report, the majority of which will be invested in additional midwives and obstetric capacity.

Upcoming NHS England and NHS Improvement guidance will include advice on the implementation of maternal medicine-focused Continuity of Carer teams, which could be used to accommodate women deemed higher risk due to previous loss, whilst still offering continuity of the midwife caring for them.

Answered by:
Ms Nadine Dorries (Conservative)
5 August 2021