Following Omicron, the health trusts that had previously placed limitations on pregnancy forced pregnant women to only attend scans and appointments.
Amanda Pritchard was criticised by Tory MPs Shaun Bailey and Alicia Kearns in a letter addressed to the chief executive of NHS England.
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.
Following MPs’ protests, the trust reversed their decision and placed a ban upon visitors to the maternity inpatients wards.
They refused to give any explanations as to why they had decided to ban scanning partners.
Princess Alexandra Hospital Harlow in Essex stated that only women should attend their antenatal appointments
One week earlier, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow, Essex stated that women will have to go alone for antenatal visits.
For women over 22 weeks gestation and who have suffered complications, support partners were expelled from the Maternal and Foetal Assessment Unit. 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.
Amanda Pritchard was criticised by Tory MPs Alicia Kearns (pictured) for her letter to the chief executive of NHS England.
Rutland and Melton MP Alicia Kearns declared: “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
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.
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, professions and advocacy organizations.”
After The Mail on Saturday’s eight-month-long End The Trauma Of Lone Births campaign ended, trusts all removed any restrictions regarding partners. Official guidance stated that trusts in hospitals should seek ‘creative solutions to support women at all stages of pregnancy and labor.
Rutland-Melton MP Ms Kearns stated: “Yet again, we are witnessing an unscientific and inhumane assault by some NHS Trusts on the right of pregnant women for partners to advocate.
These restrictions are not justified. All NHS employees are immunized. Families should be considered one family and the testing system should be fully utilized. What lessons have the NHS bureaucrats failed to learn?
“I call on Amanda Pritchard and the NHS Trusts to take control of this epidemic of arbitrary discrimination towards families.
NHS England stated that the national guidelines had not been changed and said partners should have access to ‘during labor and all maternity visits’.