§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the current status of contracting out the care of pregnant women to the NHS by women's prisons; and what such plans exist for HMP Holloway. [15001]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. George Howarth, dated 16 February 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the current status of contracting out the care of pregnant women to the NHS by women's prisons and what such plans exist for Holloway prison.No women's prison has contracted out maternity care. With the exception of women at Holloway prison, women prisoners receive such care from local hospital and community NHS services. At Holloway, antenatal and postnatal care is shared between the Prison health care service and NHS staff. Intrapartum care is provided at local NHS maternity units, usually the Whittington Hospital. Health care staff from Prison Service headquarters and the prison itself are currently reviewing all aspects of the delivery of health care at Holloway. One option under consideration is the contracting out of some specialist services following a competitive tender process. It has not yet been decided, however, whether maternity services should be contracted out.