Has the 28 week work from home guidelines changed

[Klprr93]

It seems to have changed on the gov page 7 days ago it now says if clinically vulnerable and pregnant. Has anyone had an update on this? I was going to be working from home from 28 weeks but not sure now?

It has changed, yes.
Now it's only people 28 weeks with health issues that makes them vulnerable

I’ve just checked the gov page that was updated 7 days ago and it seems to read the same as before to me - from 28 weeks you’re at greater risk regardless of health you should be more cautious? OR if you have underlying conditions you should be more cautious even before 28 weeks

“The following recommendations apply for pregnant women who are 28 weeks pregnant and beyond or with underlying health conditions that place them at a greater risk of severe illness from coronavirus
If you are 28 weeks pregnant and beyond, or if you are pregnant and have an underlying health condition that puts you at a greater risk of severe illness from COVID-19 at any gestation, you should take a more precautionary approach.”

@Oakie0

I’ve just checked the gov page that was updated 7 days ago and it seems to read the same as before to me - from 28 weeks you’re at greater risk regardless of health you should be more cautious? OR if you have underlying conditions you should be more cautious even before 28 weeks

“The following recommendations apply for pregnant women who are 28 weeks pregnant and beyond or with underlying health conditions that place them at a greater risk of severe illness from coronavirus
If you are 28 weeks pregnant and beyond, or if you are pregnant and have an underlying health condition that puts you at a greater risk of severe illness from COVID-19 at any gestation, you should take a more precautionary approach.”

Before they changed it, it stated pregnant women 28 weeks and more should work from home where possible or be found a position not in contact with people

Sorry I didn’t want to copy the whole text but yes it still mentions WFH / alternative working arrangements both before 28 weeks (following a risk assessment) and after 28 weeks

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-pregnant-employees/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-pregnant-employees

It's not very clear. I don't know what to do now. Occupation health said I was to work from home unless there was a significant change to the govermant guidelines but I don't know if this is a change
Do they keep an eye on it or do I inform them. As long as the baby is OK I don't mind really

It will depend on what kind of role you do and your workplace.
I believe that my workplace would be safe as they have social distancing measures in place (as long as other colleagues are sensible), however my commute in to London on busy trains would not be safe as I cannot avoid coming in to contact with the public.

The most recent government update still says:

"For many workers, this may require working flexibly from home in a different capacity.All employers should consider both how to redeploy these staff and how to maximise the potential for homeworking, wherever possible"

As PP said, it depends on your role. I work as a therapist on a busy hospital ward so in no way can adhere to social distancing at all times. I'm not due until September but I'd be very surprised if the advise changes that drastically in June, as they still need to protect pregnant women.

I work in a hospital too. I can work in the office which is not patient facing but it is no way social distanced
The radiographers have lunch in the office and I have to go past patients to use the toilet ect. The office is connected to clinical area where staff come in hand me forms ect even if I work in the office and not clinical. Guess I just wait and see what happens no one as told me any different yet

@Klprr93 yeah I think a 'wait and see approach' is probably the best. Who knows where we will be by June! Just keep talking it through with your manager/OH if needed. Time will tell for us all!

I'm just approaching the 28 week mark and my trust have changed their guidance. I am to remain on site unless I cannot socially distance. This means my role will change slightly but I will be able to work in the office socially distanced. I am quite pleased it changed as I was worried about working from home for that period of time!

I had an external occupation health assessment as we don't have our own
I work for private company in a NHS hospital. I am just going to wait. My risk assessment says work from home from 28 weeks unless there has been a significant change to goverment guidelines so I will wait to see if this is classed and significant. I don't mind either way. As long as the baby is ok then I will do whatever. I will just be very very grateful to get to 28 weeks with a health baby still. I'm 28 weeks beginning of May.

Following! The advice looks almost exactly the same to be as before and on the page itself it says last updated 29 March, not today. I work in a school and they have said similar to others on here that I’ll be working from home unless the guidance changes - in my opinion it hasn’t changed I can’t really see what is any different at all. There’s still a risk and the risk to me hasn’t changed since we are not vaccinated and none of the people i come into contact with (children) are vaccinated either.

Sorry I just realised no one on here had said the guidance changed today, was mixing it with up with a comment from another thread!

No worries. Yeh I said it changed 7 days ago. No the risk has not changed.

Hi all. I wanted to let you know I’ve just been on a zoom call run by pregnancy then screwed about covid. There was a consultant there from the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and she strongly indicated that the guidance about working from home won’t be changing any time soon. There has been quite a lot of scared mongering about the advice changing (particularly as many schools/
Places of work seem to have asked pregnant women to stay in the workplace recently) however the official guidance is not changing any time soon so those workplaces/ schools have chosen not to follow the official guidance. If your workplace is following the official guidance then you should still be expecting to work from home or have your role changed to limit your risk (like doing admin work in an office). She did say it might change a lot further down the line when we can say a pandemic is over but didn’t say when this meant - I thought it might possibly mean around June 21 when all restrictions are lifting but that was my personal interpretation of what she said! X

@Peaplant20.. interesting because I'm aware of several NHS trusts where the guidance has changed! Though perhaps that's because of the change in advice about the vaccine?!

@PurpleCurtain weird! My workplace is following the government guidance not individual trusts though! That’s what they were talking about on the zoom, and what I mean when I say ‘guidance.’

Surely the 21st of June isn't very far down the line though. 🤦🏼‍♀️

I recommend the pregnant then screwed live webinar on this. It was last night. Stella Creasy MP has recorded it. The third trimester is more risky so the specialists still recommended WFH and getting the vaccine.

Well I'm due to work from home on the 10th May and still looks like it's going ahead. I haven't heard otherwise and I have various emails about what I will be doing so looks my company is not going against my risk assesment that was done a while back. My 26 weeks on sat. I guess it could all change in 2 weeks

I am 26 weeks on sat **