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FURTHER RESTRICTIONS HAVE been put in place in some of the country’s maternity hospitals since Level 5 lockdown kicked in.
However, a number of maternity hospitals have said it has adapted their visiting restrictions for difficult situations such as pregnancy loss, stillbirth and unexpected complications.
A spokesperson for The Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital said:
“Given the introduction of further level 5 restrictions, the increase in the number of women being admitted with Covid-19 and the significant increase in Covid-19 community transmissions over the last number of days we regrettably have had to put in place further restrictions.
“We do not make these decisions lightly and the measures in place will be monitored by the Covid-19 Executive Team on an ongoing basis and changes will be made as soon as it is safe to do so.”
The spokesperson said the hospital’s primary concern is the safety of mothers, babies and staff.
“We deliver over 8,000 babies each year and we will continue to offer excellent and safe care and in circumstances where a woman requires extra support please be assured that we will provide that.”
The announcement comes after the Rotunda Hospital announced that partners will no longer be allowed to attend the 20-22 week pregnancy scan.
National Maternity Hospital
However, the National Maternity Hospital said there are currently no visitor restrictions in place for partners of pregnant women attending for 20-22 week scans at the National Maternity Hospital.
However, given the current public health context, the need for restrictions is reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Any changes to current policy are published on the hospital’s social media channels, said a spokesperson.
Partners are allowed to attend the labour ward or theatre for a caesarean section, but are not permitted to attend an antenatal visit or an ultrasound scan.
Partners were not allowed to attend the 20-week anatomy scan for most of 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions before this position was reversed by many hospitals.
Cork, Waterford, Kerry, Tipperary
Four maternity hospitals in the South/South West Hospital Group – Cork University Maternity Hospital, and maternity units in University Hospital Waterford, University Hospital Kerry and South Tipperary General Hospital – will also impose new restrictions from Monday.
Due to the surge in the virus, from Monday, partners will not be able to attend the routine 20-22 week anatomy scan at the four maternity hospitals.
The hospital group said it is “very mindful of the distress these restrictions may cause and in line with national guidance, we will review these measures on a weekly basis”.
“The South/South West Hospital Group fully understands how challenging visiting restrictions at our four Maternity Hospitals have been. However, in light of the move to Level 5 restrictions and the increased rate of transmission within the community there is a need to minimise footfall to our maternity units, to limit the risk of the virus spreading.
“The safety of women, their babies and maternity staff is central to the provision of our maternity services which must be continuously available when required by our patients,” they said.
However, the hospitals wished to make clear that the birthing partner will still be able to attend:
The hospital group said it is sensitive to specific situations regarding pregnancy loss, stillbirth and unexpected complications and we have adapted their visiting restrictions in these situations.
All patients who receive a pregnancy loss diagnosis are to be offered the opportunity for her partner to attend at that time. Her partner can attend all subsequent visits, said the spokesperson.
Limerick
Visiting, including partner visits, at University Maternity Hospital Limerick has been significantly restricted since March 2020 in order to protect women and infants, as well as staff said a spokesperson for the hospital.
Sine 15 December, the hospital reclassified partners as ‘essential companions’ of pregnant women for the foetal anomaly or anatomy scan.
However, due to the current exponential surge in Covd-19, the hospital has said it has been left with no option but to reverse this decision.
“Until further notice, visiting at UMHL will be restricted to the partners/support persons of mothers in the labour ward/theatre only, with a strict limit of one visitor per patient.
“Birthing partners are permitted to be present on the labour ward for all vaginal births and are permitted to remain with mother and baby for approximately one to one-and-a-half hours after delivery. Unfortunately they are requested to leave when the patient is being transferred to the postnatal ward,” they said.
Partners are also permitted during labour in the case of elective C-sections and in the case of an emergency C-section under spinal anaesthetic, where partners are permitted in theatre for the birth of the infant.
If the C-section is being performed under general anaesthetic, the partner is not permitted into theatre, as has always been the practice in the hospital.
The hospital said it is “acutely aware and very sensitive” to specific situations regarding pregnancy loss, stillbirth and unexpected complications and it has adapted their visiting restrictions in these situations to ensure that women have the on-site support of their partner.
“We very much regret having to reverse our decision allowing partners to attend for the anomaly scan. We are very aware of the distress and inconvenience these restrictions have caused for our service users and their loved ones.
“However, the decision is essential in order to protect the health and wellbeing of all patients and staff from the threat of Covid-19 at a time of exponential increase in community transmission of the disease.
“Management at UMHL will keep the need for restrictions under review at all times, and continue to work to balance the need for health protection with compassion for people’s needs and preferences,” the hospital statement said.
Appeals from pregnant women
Earlier this week, TheJournal.ie reported that nearly 200 new or expecting parents wrote to the Minister of Health between August and October appealing for restrictions at maternity hospitals to be lifted.
Hundreds more are understood to have been sent up to the end of lat year.
Emotional and angry emails seen by TheJournal.ie detail how women were left terrified of going through labour alone, without their partners.
Others spoke about the harrowing stories of being told that they had had a miscarriage when they were sitting alone in a maternity hospital, with their partners left in car parks.
In one email, one expectant mother detailed “one of the most upsetting moments of my life”.
She had a bleed at eight weeks into pregnancy and had to go to the hospital alone.
She explained how women were in hospital waiting rooms without their partners, being told the most upsetting news.
The HSE said each maternity unit will be risk assessing the current arrangements and will advise on any necessary change.
“We appreciate the patience shown by families as we work through these difficult months, providing high quality maternity and infant care and keeping our patients and services safe from Covid-19,” the HSE added.
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I wonder who’ll be liable to pay the penalties if they don’t keep budgets balanced. I’m guessing it won’t be deducted from their own salaries anyway!
Certainly recommend this. It be a step in the right direction.
I agree MC. However if councils are required by statute to balance their books, why not national governments?
Cannot understand why they don’t balance their budgets as it is . Surely they have to account for every cent spent ? The figures they produce I assume are given to the government to be part of their budgeted figures . So if the government accept non budgeted figures how can they get the total economy’s figures correct ?
The mind boggles !
The degree of intrusion into how we run our country is staggering. Humiliating. And 21% of you would vote the party that invited this on us back into power.
Didn’t FG and indeed SF also ‘invite’ them in by voting in favor of the bank guarantee? They’re all as bad as each other in reality, and once they get into power all doubt about that is removed.
Ah Vincent stop,isn’t Enda fawning with happiness everytime he announces with exceeded Troika targets.FG are continuing FF’s policies no difference,just two very regressive budgets(the poorest pays most each time)
@mart- why did a bank guarantee arise, again?
@norman- the more targets hit, the greater the prospect of a return to the market, the faster we bid the Troika farewell….
Vincent even as you say if we return to the markets,we will only bid farewell to 1/3 of the Troika.The Fiscal Treaty FG coerced the country into accepting has made the other 2/3 ‘s a permanant feature here.
The Councils also need to provide justification and value for money on spending. They budget published by Kildare CC shows a spend of some €750,000 for parks cleaning and refuse collection….The largest park to me is around 10-20 acres, has about 5 bins which are always overflowing and never seem to be collected. If this is characteristic of all towns in the county how in the name can they be spending the money?
Great idea on paper, but its going to cost more to merge than the savings will generate.
Another FG/Labour spend a million to save 50,000
Funny how in the last few days with some degree of entry back to the market, possible sale of government interest in aib , a good Christmas for the domestic economy the troika decide to speak out . Confidence seemed to be lifting slightly. The eu presidency and kenny in my opinion seeming to perform well in Europe we get kicked back into our box. The economist prints an editorial recommeding help for ireland. we meet the vast majority of targets set for us. We dont do a greece and have debt write off and second bailout.Then Just in case you think of asking for a deal on bank debt remember you are still bad boys and girls…time will pass and eventually we will get out of this but we need to never forget this …remember we held a grudge and contempt for the Brits for 800 years time to swap the contempt
Looks like a deal on bank debt is off the cards.
@ciaran- and you extrapolated that from….?
The European Commission in principal recommending our councils to balance their books is not unreasonable ,we do owe the troika a lot of money.but if a european policy of fines is created as a result of the councils inability to reform their services then we should be very worried and at all costs easiest this.this would be the equivalent of a money lender calling to your door and saying he wants two grand next week because HE didn’t come get his 500 last week,does that make sense,Europe must understand that the Irish as citizens cannot be expected to pay huge daily fines because of the incompetence of our leaders,in Ireland we have no control of services like councils or hospitals or transport because our leaders ,or management have their positions cemented in place with a system of no responsibility which has been created under the watchful eye of Europe.the European Commission has failed the Irish people in allowing our very intelligent population be gradually disenfranchised by a long established fraternity of characters that would make George Orwells pigs look good.( maybe that’s harsh ,but those pigs were organized!!) So Europe ,if the services that we pay for don’t deliver in terms of value for money ,then the councils will be fined alright,but they’ll be fined by us the people or not at all.
Resist it not easiest it ,damn you technology!
Yes master ! Lets tip our hats to the European gentry.
Altho i dont like the way the troika are poking their nose in almost everything in every article on journal today
I do agree with them on this we should be running balanced budgets at council level its just a shame it takes a boom and bust and a a bailout for the country to be spoon fed basics like this why could t this be all done 2000-2008
I wonder if they are telling the Commission that they are increasing the number of Councillors in Dublin by 50…..
have your say