Maternity service changes from Monday 28 September
The UHDB maternity service and the imaging service are pleased to announce that we are re-introducing partners of pregnant women, or their chosen birth partner, to attend the dating and anomaly scans from Monday 28 September 2020.
In addition, we are extending our visiting time on our antenatal/postnatal ward areas to invite partners to visit once a day up to two hours. This should be, where possible, one person from the same household or bubble. For women who are having a Caesarean Section, after transfer to the postnatal ward, they can have their partners stay for two hours following the transfer.
Since the summer we have been working to reintroduce partners to our maternity service. This was temporarily paused at the start of September so that the rise in Covid-19 inpatients and in the community could be monitored and tested against our plans.
To be able to reintroduce partners to the 12 and 20 week scans, partners will need to:
- Be asymptomatic and not isolating
- Respond to some screening questions in advance
- Wear a face covering until getting to the department and then change into a surgical face mask, and adhere to social distancing guidance at all times
- And, when attending, wait outside the scan department until called. A bespoke buzzer system has been installed to alert partners of when to come into the department
The maternity and imaging teams have started to contact women who are booked onto a scan from Monday onwards to advise them of the change.
The visiting times on the wards themselves will be staggered between 12 noon and 7pm to support social distancing. The ward will notify birth partners what time slot they will be able to visit.
Cathy Winfield, Executive Chief Nurse, said: “I’d like to thank both the maternity and imaging teams for their work to make this happen. It has been a difficult few months creating plans to reintroduce partners and then hard to see the rise in Covid-19 delay their implementation. I know how hard it has been for all those families affected and I’d like to thank everyone for their understanding throughout the summer. We’re really looking forward to seeing partners return in a safe and secure way. Clearly the pandemic is very much still with us but we’ll do everything we can to maintain and expand the access we are announcing today.”
We will continue to monitor and review our visiting restrictions with the intention to safely expand the options available for partners to be present in all areas of maternity services at UHDB when it is safe to do so. Covid-19 is still an evolving situation in our communities and any restrictions that are lifted, may be reversed if required for the safety of our patients.
Frequently asked questions:
What should I expect when attending my scan?
Pregnant women and their partner should arrive at the department five minutes before their scan time. You will both be asked screening questions about if you have experienced any Covid-19 symptoms, will be given hand sanitiser and provided with a surgical face masks which should be worn at all times.
Pregnant women will be able to wait in the scan waiting area, while partners will be given a buzzer and asked to wait in a designated area nearby. Partners will be given an information sheet to explain the process.
When it is time for the scan, the buzzer will alert partners to make themselves known to a member of staff and they will be shown through to the scan area.
The scan cannot be delayed, so partners should stay in the designated waiting area, otherwise they may miss the scan.
Who can I bring with me?
Pregnant women can bring a maximum of one person with them to their 12 and 20 week scans only. Where possible, the person they bring with them should be from the same household or social bubble.
Unfortunately, we are not able to allow children in the scan department or in the scan room. This is because it is a clinical assessment and it is important that the Sonographer is able to concentrate, alongside being unable to maintain social distancing with any additional people in the room.
What to do if I or anyone in my household has Covid symptoms or are unwell?
Please do not attend your appointment if you or anyone in your household are showing symptoms of Covid-19, or have had diarrhoea and vomiting in the past 48 hours. Please phone the department and we will work with you to be able to see you safely at another time.
Why can’t partners wait in the waiting area?
The waiting area is quite small and we cannot maintain social distancing there with both partners and pregnant women in the room. In order to ensure everyone’s safety, partners will have a separate waiting area outside.
Can partners also attend clinic appointments, blood tests and other scans?
Unfortunately at the moment, partners are only able to attend the 12 week (dating) scan and 20 week (anomaly) scan. Any blood tests, clinic appointments and other scans should be attended alone. This is being reviewed regularly.
My scan is before 28 September, can I re-arrange?
Please do not attempt to re-arrange your scan. It is essential that pregnant women have their scans at the correct times as certain tests and checks on the baby can only be carried out within a short time frame. Our scans are fully booked for a number of weeks, so delaying your scan could mean you are not able to have vital checks on your baby at the correct time. We are sorry that we are not able to facilitate partners attendance before 28 September.