New COVID rules!

[July21Baby]

So I’m sure many of you have seen the fantastic news that partners are allowed to attend all appointments and scans.

I just wonder how long it will take before these rules come into action?!

It’ll vary for each trust as they’ll have to do risk assessments and paperwork etc.

I haven’t seen anything about this, where can I read up about it?

www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/supporting-pregnant-women-using-maternity-services-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-actions-for-nhs-providers/?fbclid=IwAR12EB3iNpXBJii0TyAK_U-g6_bEbgrIXGFGFAFM6ir7uAvqW7kloKj0Fto

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55330549

Just read the doc @Honeydukesmum sent through! Hoping this comes into effect asap! I have my first face to face midwife appointment Friday (28 weeks) and it would be amazing to have support after the complications we've been through in this pregnancy!

Ahh thank you. Not sure if this will be the same for Wales :( I hope so though.

Its just dating and anomaly scans for Wales still :(
I'm under the Aneurin Bevan Health Board though who are absolutely on their knees with covid patients at the moment so I cant see things changing for us any time soon.

The difference between the trusts is confusing :( my oh isn’t allowed at my dating scan as things stand, only my 20 week but the other hospital in my local area allows partners at the daring scan. Just wish there was some consistency especially considering we’re both from the same household.

Having a discussion about this on a local Facebook group for my trust’s maternity services this morning, and while this is a great step in the right direction it sounds like they won’t be implementing this guidance any time soon regardless of what NHS England say. I really hope this is not the case across the board or that the trust just hasn’t caught up yet but they’ve been pretty firm all along and seem to think that allowing partners in for active labour only is enough. It’s really disappointing.

The issue each trust/ buildings etc are different. So where in one scan department it easily ventilated, space to distance etc in another logistics may make this more difficult. Same For postnatal ward visiting etc will depend on space available in bays etc. That mixed with staff make up ( vulnerable, staff numbers, covid numbers) it leads to different risk assessment and plans etc.

I have a scan tomorrow 38 weeks, my trust still only allowing partners at the 12 & 20 week scans currently.
Also latest update on their Facebook page is that as of the new year all pregnant women & partners will be expected to arrive to appts an hour early for a nasal test for which results will be given within 45 mins.

@violetclouds do you know if the hour early to appointments is just in specific areas or everywhere?

@KHR1 I think all Covid related rules are trust dependent, i live bang between a city & a town who are doing very different things.
So went to appt alone today & was informed will need to go Friday for Covid test which is 72 hours before section date. Also asked about partners & as far as yet they haven't worked out how they're going to go about introducing tests for birth partners or before routine appts.