Pregnant nhs workers, are you WFH?

[meltedgalaxy]

Pregnant NHS workers, if you can work from home, are you working from home?

I'm a first year student based at a clinic, we do not see patients at the clinic and are unable to visit them due to covid (unless extremely urgent)

I'm pregnant, I'm a high risk pregnancy. I'm unvaccinated due to being pregnant and I've had no risk assessment. The office are working from home, except 3 of us.

Our area is high risk and we have covid on all 3 wards downstairs. NMC new guidance says we shouldn't be on placement if it's not safe to be on placement.

I have a history of miscarriage, so naturally I'm on edge all of the time. The majority of our office have tested positive and have had to isolate hence why there's 3 of us left.

My university have not offered any guidance other than to continue as normal, I've now gotten to the point where I'm being sick with worry due to anxiety.

I would like to work from home, while I am at placement I spend 7 hours googling and noting down key facts about various conditions, as there is nothing for me to do. Most of the day I'm not spoken to at all.

I have no access to a risk assessment or any guidance about what would be safe for me?

Maybe I'm worrying, if I wasn't pregnant I'd be getting stuck in on a ward but I can't. I feel as though I am at risk. My unborn baby has already been through quite a lot at this point I don't want to catch covid when I could be doing what I do at placement from the safety of my own home.

[Higgeldypiggeldy35]

I'm 34 weeks and only just started working from home. But that's mostly my choice and I'm a community worker and have had a lot of support to reduce contacts and do most of work via video and phone. Colleagues pregnant in the hospital have worked from home from 28 weeks as far as I'm aware. And you should definitely have had a risk assessment.

[meltedgalaxy]

I've seen nothing of a risk assessment

[LittleRa]

How many weeks pregnant are you?

[meltedgalaxy]

9.5 so very early on

[LittleRa]

I’m not NHS, I’m a teacher so not quite the same but anyway. I’m 32 weeks now and working from home, obviously schools are largely closed to the majority now anyway. I worked in school with my class which took me up to 28 weeks, third trimester, which is when I believe it becomes advisable to work in a non-public facing/non-patient facing role.

Here’s some advice:
www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/guidelines/coronavirus-pregnancy/covid-19-virus-infection-and-pregnancy/#occupational

You should definitely look into asking for a risk assessment.

[THATbasicSNOWFLAKE]

Have you informed your employer in writing that you are pregnant

[meltedgalaxy]

@THATbasicSNOWFLAKE yes, everyone is well aware. I asked about risk assessment in my first and second shift and they said they'd sort it. No one has been in who can deal with it since as they're working from home. I'll send an email tonight.

I contacted my university who advised me to carry on as normal and they will chase a risk assessment too which is helpful