Visits to women on maternity wards at Scarborough Hospital now allowed

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has announced that one pre-booked visit per day is now permitted for birth partners.

Visiting patients on other wards is still cancelled apart from for parents, guardians or carers for patients on the children's ward.

The Trust posted on its website: "Our first priority is, and always will be, the safety of the women and babies in our care and we appreciate your understanding and help with this.

"We know how important it is for women to be able to have some contact with their birth partner whilst an inpatient in Maternity. Until now we have only been able to safely support this during labour.

"From June 30 we would like to support the designated birth partner - provided they are free of Covid-19 symptoms - to have a booked single visit a day for up to two hours between 12pm and 8pm.

"This is to enable us to maintain social distancing and protect everyone as much as possible.

"This will have to be arranged via telephone on the day with ward staff, who will carry out screening for Covid-19 symptoms."

Visitors will be asked to bring a face-covering with them and wear these at all times. If they do not attend with a face-covering, they will be issued with a surgical mask.

Visiting birth partners must go directly to their partner’s bedside and remain there throughout the visit.

Birth partners will need to fully adhere to social distancing, wearing appropriate PPE if requested by staff and following handwashing guidance at all times.

If circumstances on the ward change, the midwife in charge may have to shorten or cancel the visit.

Support in labour has not changed and non-symptomatic partners can attend once women are in labour.

Partners are still not able to attend ante-natal scans as the Trust says there is not enough space to allow social distancing. It says the matter is under continual review and it is continuing to supply free scan pictures.

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