Why was Stacey let into baby wards but relatives weren’t?
NEW parents were left furious by a BBC documentary fronted by Stacey Dooley after she was given access to a maternity ward – while they are restricted from visiting their babies. Miss Dooley, 33, visited Bradford Royal Infirmary for a week to find out how the Covid-1 pandemic is transforming the way mothers, midwives and doctors deal with pregnancy and birth in an area which last week saw coronavirus restrictions strengthened.
Her Panorama documentary, Stacey Dooley And The Lockdown Babies, showed one father waiting outside the hospital as his wife was induced with their twins while Miss Dooley put on a mask to interview women on the maternity ward. The BBC presenter also witnessed an emergency C-section after film crews were granted permission from the mother.
But many viewers complained it was unfair. One expectant mother tweeted: ‘What a joke – Stacey Dooley and a whole film crew can go into maternity wards but fathers of the babies can’t. I’ll have to attend every scan and appointment alone – but come on in BBC film crew!’
And a new father wrote: I couldn’t visit my partner and newborn son as they were kept in hospital for days after he was born but sure Stacey Dooley and a film crew can go in hang out for a bit.’
One couple from the West Midlands, Laura Savvas and Ian Murphy, have been granted just five minutes with their son Asher since his premature arrival 11 days ago.
Speaking yesterday while her son was undergoing a follow-up operation, Miss Savvas said: ‘It is galling to have to go through that sacrifice... only to see Stacey Dooley swanning around a hospital with a camera crew in tow.’
A BBC spokesman said: ‘Bradford Royal Infirmary gave a small team special access to their maternity unit and all filming was done safely and with the upmost respect and sensitivity.’
‘I’ll be alone for every scan’