Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg today visited Stepping Hill Hospital and then came to lunch at the Village Hotel in Cheadle.As the Stockport Express reports:

Mr Clegg, himself a father of three young children, praised the way the new unit involved families, especially fathers, in the birthing process.

He said: “This neonatal unit is cutting edge. I would like to see units like this in every hospital up and down the country.

“Speaking not only as a politician, but also as a dad of three, it is fantastic to see the way children are catered for here.

“The maternity centres keep families involved from day one in the child’s life, which will benefit the child in every way as it grows up.

“By having families involved from an early stage, this hospital in Stockport is leading the way.”

Millions were invested in the maternity service to cope with the increasing number of births at the hospital.

The new unit, which has received the highest rating in the country, has three en suite parent bedrooms, a full kitchen, play facilities, two breastfeeding rooms and a transitional care unit for babies to stay with their mothers until they are fit enough to go home.