Partners allowed to attend pregnancy scans and appointments at Bassetlaw Hospital

As of Wednesday (April 14) patients attending for antenatal scans and related doctor and midwifery appointments can now be joined by one accompanying adult at Bassetlaw Hospital- except those within the Antenatal Assessment Unit (ANAU).

At the outset of the pandemic in March 2020, the Trust took the ‘difficult’ decision to restrict the number of people coming to and from hospital, following national guidance.

As the Trust has seen a steady and sustained decline in cases of COVID-19 throughout the past number of the weeks, health bosses were able to ease restrictions on April 6 for 12 and 20 week scans, and following the successful implementation of this change, are now extending this offer to all antenatal scans and related doctors’ appointments.

At present, it is not possible to accommodate partners within Bassetlaw Hospital’s Antenatal Assessment Unit due to space restrictions and the absence of a waiting room.

The Trust say they are working hard to resolve this issue and will issue an update when access can be expanded.

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David Purdue, chief nurse at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: “Following the easing of restrictions earlier this month, we are pleased to further extend access for mums and birthing partners.

"Due to the safety requirements introduced since the pandemic swept across our towns, the footprint of our services has made it difficult to accommodate partners safely.

”We have been acutely aware of the strength of feeling in our communities about this matter, and our colleagues have pulled out all the stops to ensure that we can safely allow partners to accompany mums to their appointments.

“We are still operating some restrictions, so we ask that individuals read the guidance carefully and we will continue to review our position on a regular basis.

"I want to also stress the importance that anyone coming to our sites must wear an appropriate face covering, wash their hands regularly and please do not attend, under any circumstances, if you have a cough, cold, diarrhoea, vomiting or a temperature.”

More information is available on the Trust’s website: www.dbth.nhs.uk

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