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Revised May 2023

COVID-19 Protocols and Testing

Please do not attend the hospital or clinic if you are unwell with COVID-19 symptoms. Call 119 or the Maternity Helpline 0208 725 2777. If your partner is unwell, we kindly request that they stay at home until they feel better.

Use of face masks is now optional in public areas. Staff will advise if you are required to wear a mask in a high risk ward/area.

Antenatal Appointments and Scans

You can bring one person to antenatal appointments or ultrasound scans. Partners are welcome to attend your appointment with you.

Antenatal Ward

If you are admitted to the antenatal ward in pregnancy, 1 support person can be with you on the ward from 08:00am-22:00pm, we do not permit your support person to stay overnight unless you are experiencing contractions (e.g. in early labour or during induction of labour). Please keep mobile phones on silent during ward stays.

Giving Birth

When admitted to a shared bay on the Antenatal Ward or Delivery Suite when in early labour or for induction of labour, you may have 1 birth partner with you . This is due to there being very limited space in the shared bays.

When you are admitted in active labour to a single room on the Delivery Suite or Carmen Birth Centre, 2 birth partners can be with you. If a third person is needed, e.g. an interpreter, please discuss with your midwife during pregnancy.

Postnatal Ward

During your stay on the postnatal ward One Birth Partner or Support Person can stay to care for you and your baby throughout the day and night.

If they leave the ward, they will not be allowed back in between the hours of 10pm and 8am.

Visiting times for other visitors are 3pm-8pm.

You can have two people visit per day and we will ask you to give us the names of the two visitors you are expecting.

Only visitors named by you are permitted on to the ward.

There can be only two people at the bedside at one time, the Birth Partner/Support Person counts as one person.

Siblings to the baby under the age of 16 (but no other relative e.g. cousins) can visit when accompanied by the Birth Partner/Support Person during visiting hours.

Children should be supervised by the Birth Partner and remain accompanied by parents at all times.

If a Birth Partner, Support Person, Named Visitor or Sibling is unwell or has symptoms of COVID-19, Flu or Strep A they can not visit the ward.

This policy is in place to protect your family and those around you.

We thank you for your cooperation.