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<p>We are currently carrying out a fundamental review of our Mother and Baby Units
(MBUs) policy, as part of which, we are looking at improving the information and data
available in relation to pregnancy and births. This is a complex area and there are
sensitive issues relating to medical information and data protection which must be
taken into account, but we are looking closely at this issue to drive improvements
in our support for pregnant women across the estate.</p><p> </p><p>In the interim,
we have worked to provide a total figure for the number of pregnant women across the
Women’s Estate, based on a bespoke data collection exercise. We can inform you that
the total number of women who declared they were pregnant was 47, as at 15:00hrs on
Monday 28 October 2019. This represents less than 2 per cent of the population, which
stood at 3,808 at the time of the exercise.</p><p> </p><p>We know that it is extremely
rare for a woman to give birth in prison – because every step is taken to get them
to hospital – but those unique cases are invariably down to the unpredictability of
labour.</p><p> </p><p>The number of women who give birth in prison is not collected
centrally and as there is no central data field to record this data, prisons would
be required to conduct a manual search of their records for all women who have been
taken into custody over a specific period. Although the prison population sits at
around 3,800, this does not account for the high churn in prison numbers and therefore
the number of records to be searched would be much higher. However, an internal data
collection exercise conducted in 2018 indicated that prisons reported fewer than 5
births in prison in the past any one year.</p><p> </p><p>The remaining information
you have requested is not currently held centrally and could only be obtained at a
disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>All pregnant women are seen by a professional
midwife at least fortnightly or more frequently if required. Healthcare in prisons
is provided by specially trained medics and nurses. Medical emergencies are dealt
with by 999 calls and prisoners have access to an emergency bell to alert staff at
night. Women in prison have access to the same range of services as they would in
the community.</p><p> </p><p>Policy Guidance adjoining the Women’s Policy Framework
2018 contains comprehensive operational guidance on perinatal support to women in
custody. To accompany the policy, a training course for managing pregnant women in
custody and MBUs is available to prison staff supporting pregnant women, or women
with children in MBUs.</p>
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