Completed petition Ensure fathers/birth partners are involved in all assessments & care throughout the perinatal period
The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting regulations have had a devastating impact on many fathers/partners who were not permitted at scans, assessments or sometimes even the baby’s birth. Many fathers missed the birth altogether whilst being left outside in car parks for several hours and even days.
Fathers’ experiences must be acknowledged and reviewed to inform future decision making and NHS guidance to ensure fathers/partners are treated fairly and not excluded in the future - even in a pandemic.
More details
Whilst the negative impact on mothers has been highlighted, it is also important to recognise the effect on fathers/partners. Being excluded in this way has resulted in well-being and mental health issues, anxiety and concerns about the mother and the baby’s health whilst being denied such precious and important experiences.
My name is Mark Williams, and I started the campaign for the Mother and Baby Unit in Wales some years ago. It’s positive that policies have since changed to be more inclusive of fathers resulting in better outcomes for the whole family and the development of the child.
Further detail to support this petition can be found in our study which suggests the need to consider the effects of COVID-19 on fathers as well, as they have been rather overlooked by previous research that has mainly focused on mothers, and to plan specific interventions able to also take them into account.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34510515/
New fatherhood in a pandemic: Challenges and resources for new fathers and partners during COVID-19 - https://blogs.surrey.ac.uk/sociology/2020/04/07/new-fatherhood-in-a-pandemic-challenges-and-resources-for-new-fathers-and-partners-during-covid-19/
This petition was considered by the Petitions Committee
Find out about the Petitions Committee’s discussion of this petition