NHS relaxes guidance to make hospitals allow pregnant women to have a partner, friend or relative with them ‘at all times’ after forcing mothers-to-be to go alone during pandemic
- Expectant mothers will be able to have a ‘support person’ with them in hospital
- Rule will apply to scans, appointments, labour and delivery, and neonatal care
- Hospitals should use Covid testing or move services to allow social distancing
- Thousands of mothers gave birth alone during the coronavirus crisis in Britain
Pregnant women will again be allowed to take someone with them to hospital appointments and have them by their side during labour, the NHS has said.
Under coronavirus regulations brought in earlier this year mothers-to-be were required to go to appointments alone and leave partners, friends or relatives outside.
But health chiefs this week told all hospitals in England to make maternity services work in a way that will allow women to bring someone else with them to an appointment.
If they did not have space to have socially distanced appointments before, new guidance says, they should move the service to somewhere where it’s possible.
The rules, issued to hospitals across the country, say: ‘Women should … have access to support at all times during their maternity journey and trusts should facilitate this, while keeping the risk of transmission of the virus within NHS maternity services as low as possible.’
Swab testing could be used to try and stop the virus spreading, they suggest, with people who test negative allowed to attend appointments and deliveries.
The rules apply to all stages of pregnancy including scans, prenatal appointments, labour and any care the baby or mother needs after the birth, such as neonatal visits.
New rules issued on Monday mean expectant mothers in England will soon be permitted to have one person with them during ‘all appointments and throughout birth’ (stock image)
New rules issued on Monday mean expectant mothers in England will soon be permitted to have one person with them during ‘all appointments and throughout birth.’
This could be a partner, relative or friend, with the document stating their presence ‘facilitates emotional wellbeing and is a key component of safe and personalised maternity care.’
Previously, thousands of mothers-to-be were forced to endure the ‘unimaginable anguish’ of having to give birth alone due to draconian Covid-19 rules.
More than 60 MPs had demanded NHS Trusts lift their ban on partners at the bedside during births, which has left many women ‘devastated’.
The NHS issued a document on Monday, entitled ‘Supporting pregnant women using maternity services during the coronavirus pandemic’, asking Trusts to ‘urgently complete any further action needed so that partners can accompany women’.
It said a woman’s chosen ‘support person’ should be considered an ‘integral part of both the woman and baby’s care throughout [the pregnancy] and not as a visitor.’
They should be able to attend appointments at the early pregnancy unit, all antenatal scans, labour and birth, the guidance said.
It added: ‘Pregnant women value the support from a partner, relative, friend or other person through pregnancy and childbirth as it facilitates emotional wellbeing and is a key component of safe and personalised maternity care.
‘It is therefore our aim, further to a risk assessment, that a woman should have access to support from a person of her choosing at all stages of her maternity journey and that all trusts should facilitate this as quickly as possible.
This could be a partner, relative or friend, with the document stating their presence ‘facilitates emotional wellbeing and is a key component of safe and personalised maternity care.’ Pictured: Stock image
‘At the same time it is our priority to prevent and control Covid-19 infection and keep women and staff safe. ‘
The guidance asked health chiefs to undertake a risk assessment ‘in each part of their maternity service to identify precisely whether and if so where there is an elevated risk of Covid-19 transmission if support people are present.’
They were also instructed to address the issues highlighted in the risk assessment, ‘alongside provision of other appropriate infection prevention and control measures, including training and PPE’.
Birthright welcomed the revision, tweeting: ‘Delighted to see the revised guidance for visiting in maternity services, recognising that #partnersarenotvisitors, that they are a ‘key component of safe and personalised maternity care’ who should be included throughout.’