(2) how his Department plans to meet the commitment to enable all women to have choice over where and how they have their baby by 2009.
In April 2007, the Department published “Maternity Matters: Choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service”, which focuses on improving the quality of care and ensuring women have a range of choices which will make it easier for them to access maternity services. A Maternity Matters Implementation Group was established to support early joint work on implementation between the Department and the national health service. Since then, each strategic health authority has developed its vision for services for maternity and the new born as part of the NHS Next Stage Review, and work on implementation is now being taken forward on a wider front.
Maternity services are once again included in the top clinical priorities highlighted in the NHS Operating Framework for 2009-10, backed by increased investment and a planned increase in the number of midwives.