A BOLTON MP is calling on ministers to ‘fulfil their promises’ on continuity of carers in pregnancy and the ending the use of units like Winterbourne View.

Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South East, says the government has not lived up to a number of promises, and that she is regularly contacted by constituents asking for her to campaign on these issues.

In 2019, the Department for Health and Social Care outlined that they wanted to ensure all women had access to continuity of carer, essentially meaning that throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the days after, they had the same midwife.

Ms Qureshi claims the government have failed to deliver this target and Nadine Dorries, the health minister, told her that only 15.9 per cent of women have had access to continuity of care.

In 2011, the government also promised to shut down any units like that of Winterbourne View, which was designed to support those with autism or other disabilities but resulted in national abuse scandals.

The Winterbourne View scandal was exposed in 2011 by a BBC Panorama documentary which outlined there were serious patterns of abuse towards patients with complex disabilities and it resulted in the unit being closed, alongside a formal inquiry.

The government then promised that units of this kind would be shut down and people with complex needs be provided with other avenues for support ­— but ten years on this has not happened.

Ms Qureshi has asked the ministers responsible, Helen Whately and Nadine Dorries, to resolve these failures.

She said: “It is a disgrace that the UK Government repeatedly makes empty promises to the electorate on such serious matters.

“The Winterbourne View scandal shone a light on systematic abuse towards children with complex needs and the Government made a commitment to end use of units of this kind. Ten years on, they have failed to do so.

“Regarding continuity of carer, it is shameful that yet again the Government has made a promise to so many women and have then reeled back, providing the support for just 15.9 per cent of women.

“There is a clear theme that emerges from political issues like this, that the Government hasn’t the political will to truly address issues and honour their promises.”