Petition · past parliament
Allow birth partners to stay with new mums after labour and visit the ward.
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
We need wards to re open their visiting times for the birth partner if the mother has to stay in after delivering their baby or babies.
Labour and birth can be emotional and traumatic for many women AND men. We need someone we know by our side after giving birth and we need that person to be able to visit, to see THEIR new born baby and bond with them if the mother has to stay in hospital for any length of time. You are allowing people to work in non essential shops and restaurants, but mothers can't have just one special person with them through such an enormous life changing experience.
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
Decisions about visitors are a matter for the NHS, not the Government or House of Commons.
On 5 June, the NHS’s suspension of hospital visiting was lifted. This means that visiting is now subject to local discretion by trusts and other NHS bodies. You should check with your maternity team and sonography unit for their policy on visitors attending antenatal appointments, including scans.
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you find out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://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: https://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: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
On 5 June, the NHS’s suspension of hospital visiting was lifted. This means that visiting is now subject to local discretion by trusts and other NHS bodies. You should check with your maternity team and sonography unit for their policy on visitors attending antenatal appointments, including scans.
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you find out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://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: https://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: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
Timeline
| 5 Jun 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 21 Jul 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
21 Jul 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.