Pregnant Nurse with new guidance RE COVID 19

[TTC1993]

Whats your thoughts on the new advice about pregnant women in high risk category for covid 19? Are you guys still going in to work given we've been told so self isolate now?

How horrific for that pregnant nurse. My heart goes out to her family.

We knew this was coming, and so did those in charge. We all just need to keep the pressure up with whomever will listen and demand we are signed off home and safe and paid. It should not be a choice between our safety and our income.

This is a shameful disgrace

It's such a tragedy. I think the guidelines will HAVE to change after this. We should be at home and on full pay.

My partner tested positive for covid 19 this weekend, he's a pharmacist and was working on covid wards. He's OK but I am so worried about catching it and last nights news put me into full on panic mode for myself and my baby. I guess it is inevitable though, despite my greatest efforts to distance from him, we use the same bathroom, kitchen, door handles...

Wish us luck.

I thought that workers in their third trimester were not supposed to be in patient facing roles? That’s what the guidelines had said, how did this poor woman end up working on the front line?

@Bananas5 you must be so worried. Sending you lots of love. Try to stay positive and remember that you can keep yourself safe even if someone in the houshold has it. Try to take it one day at a time.

@Lolxx you can guarantee they will say it was her choice to keep working. They will push the blame and stand by their guidelines. It was reported that she wasn't working with Covid patients which makes the argument stronger that working in any environment is unsafe. I've not slept last night, my sick note runs out soon. I just don't know what to do other than take unpaid leave.

@AnonymousNurse this was my greatest fear when the guidelines said you could be moved roles, as I knew there would come a time when it affected all areas of health care! I have been extremely lucky that my employers have taken the decision to grant me special leave at this time as I was extremely stressed with it all!

@Lolxx may I ask how far along you are, and what kind of leave they granted you?

It's just devastating news. So so sad, my thoughts are with her family and her daughter at this time.

@AnonymousNurse is there any chance you can have your sick note extended?

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/15/pregnant-healthcare-workers-pressured-into-covid-19-frontline

@Lolxx I read an article, can't remember if it was in the Indy or somewhere else, that said she hadn't worked with patients since 12 March and swabbed positive at the start of April.

Ah the Guardian also says she last worked on 12 March. So although it sounds like she was treated properly by her employer, it just goes to show what can happen even when you follow the precautions!

I don't understand why it is new information. When pregnant you immediately come under immunocompromised,

So so sad. Everyone needs to keep sharing the petition about it all. www.change.org/p/boris-johnson-protect-pregnant-healthcare-workers-in-the-uk-from-covid-19?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_21013612_en-GB%3Av1&recruiter=118781860&recruited_by_id=e1d05852-f2e1-4310-a2e2-e9c6f168b55e&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial if you haven't seen it. Stag safe everyone x

Have just read this thread with interest. I’m a midwife working on labour ward and 9 weeks pregnant. Management are refusing any non-clinical roles for pregnant staff before 28 weeks, as they say non-clinical roles are saturated. I have been put in many situations where I felt unsafe at work and I can tell I’m becoming unpopular with my team for being ‘awkward’. As midwives we are expected to go into theatres WITHOUT FFP3 or visors and step 2m away if aerosol generating procedure taking place. This is despite all other theatre staff wearing full PPE. We are fed the line that if women are ‘low risk’ for Covid we don’t need that level of protection...when everyone knows people can be asymptomatic

I’ve come off work with sickness/stress but I’m at a loss for how to move forward without making myself hated at work. I know that shouldn’t even factor in my decision, but unfortunately I can’t shake it.

@Spoons1987 that is absolutely shocking. Women are low risk for COVID? What a load if bollocks!! That has made me really angry for you. I think you should look after number 1 and stay off sick. Maybe start thinking about working somewhere else as your workplace sounds utterly toxic.

@AnonymousNurse I’m 20+6 & they’ve signed me off as special leave which is full pay. My area is a receiving unit which sees all different kinds of patients but also are the main hub for receiving covid patients so there was no way I could avoid them!

@Spoons1987 you’re work are out of date with their guidance. It has been stated that woman

@Emerald89 that’s worrying! I worked with covid patients on the 16th March!! I have been fortunate to have no symptoms but to think that this virus has lay in this woman & now has killed her is terrifying!

I've been working from home doing virtual clinics since 16th of March. And today I've been asked to do exactly the same work only from the hospital. It's surreal. I feel I can't even argue with them as it's a non patient facing role and there is nothing I can do. I have never been more disappointed by the management.

@Spoons1987 Emerald89 is right - according to the RCOG guidelines - (although I don't agree with them- I think all pregnant healthcare workers should be safe at home working or not!) every pregnant health care worker has the choice to be patient facing or not, every woman is entitled to a risk assessment. Ring the 'Pregnant then Screwed' helpline - I have and they have supported me with free employment law advice which I felt I needed in order to be prepared to speak to my employer. They also are just there for a chat if you are worried about things. Stick to what you feel is right. If your employer cannot guarantee they can keep you safe (2 meters away from others) you are entitled to full pay from home. I have said I am willing to work from home. I realise the feelings of others in the workplace and their thoughts on your actions can weigh heavily but they are not the most important thing right now. I'm trying to tell myself this also - as I'm sure we all are!

I will again be writing to my MP, I will write again write to RCOG with the collected evidence I have found in news stories across the globe that shows how pregnant women and their unborn children can be affected by Covid - 19 and I will share the petition with others. Arm yourself with knowledge and facts and hopefully we can protect each other by making others aware of our situation and making noise!! Why should pregnant women in healthcare be treated any differently to other pregnant women??? It doesn't make sense.

Thanks for the replies. I spoke to HR yesterday about my concerns and what management had told me. I ended up reading the RCOG guidance to the woman over the phone and her reply was that they only have to offer the non-clinical work if the choice is available..and therefore my only option is to take all my AL and start maternity leave. And she kept reiterating that I’m only in the first trimester (yeah...when you’re most susceptible to teratogens) and non-clinical work is really reserved for those in need.

Luckily I have a colleague in a similar position and she has started escalating things to Unison and occupational health have been more supportive. I’m hoping we will get somewhere, but it really is awful how management are behaving. I’m fairly sure if they were pregnant it would be a very different story..

Thank you @Traysea. I’ll definitely be giving ‘Pregnant Then Screwed’ a call, as I think it is a listening ear I need to work through all this mess!

And yes, the RCOG really need to clarify what it is that makes healthcare workers so different to non-healthcare workers. When they’re stressing about coming to a midwifery clinic for an appointment, yet I can be elbows deep in blood and liquor with a pinny and surgical mask for protection!? It’s bonkers

In that article it says:

"The NHS trust’s chief executive, David Carter, said the survival of her baby daughter was a “beacon of light at this very dark time”."

How can they say that!? Its not a beacon of light!! Its horrendous her mother has died and she will never know her. I think that's so disrespectful trying to put a positive spin on such a huge tragedy!

@Spoons1987 the OH person you spoke with is wrong because if non-patient contact work is not available and they cannot provide you with a safe environment to work in (such as a 'low risk' office environment which adheres to social distancing) then they must suspend you on full pay. Give them a ring, the legal team can take a few days to get back to you but the helpline is normally available although it is very much in demand. Please talk to them before you take your maternity leave.

@Spoons1987 your work have it all wrong! Definitely get in touch with Pregnant then Screwed & your union. They are out of line & hoping to scare you into complying. They also cannot force you to take your maternity leave early as this is a circumstance out with your pregnancy, my manager specifically told me that they can’t do that.

@UrsulaSings it’s disgusting isn’t it. So poorly thought out.

www.nhsconfed.org/regions-and-eu/welsh-nhs-confederation/nhs-wales-employers/our-work/covid19

Hope you are all ok. Just a link I've been sent today in response to an email I sent to an MP - (it is Wales specific - there might be something like it for England also) who said managers should look to this for guidance. In the FAQ section it clearly states all pregnant healthcare workers should be risk assessed

q.13
"Pregnant women may be particularly vulnerable, and employers have additional responsibilities to protect them. As the situation progresses, employers should regularly risk assess and should discuss with pregnant employees whether it is appropriate to move them to a different location, arrange for them to work from home or even to temporarily remove them from the workplace. In which case they will receive full pay. It is imperative that any action is done with their consent and preferably with support from Occupational Health. "