After Omicron was reinstated, health trusts placed restrictions on pregnant women who were forced to go to scans alone. MPs demanded that action be taken.
Amanda Pritchard (Tory MP) wrote a criticism to NHS England’s chief executive. It was signed by Shaun Bailey as well as Alicia Kearns, Tory MPs.
This comes after Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust declared last week that pregnant women would no longer be allowed to accompany their partners for scans and appointments.
The trust reversed its decision after MPs complained publicly about the changes and banned visitors to maternity inpatient units.
MPs have demanded action after health trusts reintroduced restrictions forcing pregnant women to attend scans and appointments alone. (Stock image)
They refused to give any explanations as to why they had decided to ban scanning partners.
The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow (Essex) had announced a week prior that all women must attend their antenatal appointments by themselves.
It also prohibited support partners from its Maternal and Foetal Assessment Unit, for those women more than 22 weeks and having developed complications. The Mail contacted it on Sunday and asked for its approval.
This newspaper saw the letter addressed to Ms Pritchard. It stated that “These restrictions seem to have been reintroduced without critical thought and with very little to no accountability.”
They called for a proactive monitoring mechanism to be implemented by NHS England so that all NHS trusts follow the guidelines and women can receive support throughout their pregnancy and delivery.
West Bromwich West MP Bailey described the Birmingham trust’s decision to ban partners in a disgraceful manner and called it a ‘betrayal of women.
Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England (pictured), wrote a letter criticizing the “disproportionate and unscientific” reintroductions of inhumane restraints by certain trusts
On Sunday, he told The Mail that partners are a lifeline for women in the most difficult times of their lives.
“Anyone who decides to limit the involvement of partners during pregnancy is not in line with the recommendations of the government or the profession.”
All trusts removed restrictions on partners last spring after The Mail On Sunday’s eight-month-old End The Trauma Of Lone Births Campaign.
Official guidance stated that hospital trusts had to find creative solutions for women at all stages of pregnancy and labor.
Rutland and Melton MP, Ms Kearns claimed: “Yet another time we see an unscientific inhumane attack by some NHS trusts upon the rights of pregnant woman for their partners advocate for them.”
This restriction is not justifiable. All NHS employees are immunized, all families must be considered one family and the entire testing program should be used. Why haven’t the NHS bureaucrats learned any lessons?
“I am calling Amanda Pritchard, to address this epidemic of arbitrarily discriminated against families and to demand that the NHS trusts uphold national guidance.”
NHS England claimed that national guidance has not changed, and it was important for partners to have access during birth as well as at all maternity appointments.