Virus forces maternity unit closure
A HOSPITAL has been forced to shut its maternity unit in the wake of the growing coronavirus crisis.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board said it has made the “difficult decision” to temporarily close its Tirion Birth Unit at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant.
Women and their families who had planned to give birth in the midwife-led unit will now be given the choice of using maternity services at Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil, or Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend, instead.
Under current Covid19 guidance, pregnant women are in the “at risk” group and are urged to follow proposed social distancing measures.
Greg Dix, director of nursing, midwifery and patient care, said: “Due to national public health guidance around Covid19, we have taken the difficult decision to temporarily close Tirion Birth Unit at Royal Glamorgan Hospital from 7pm on March 19.
“This measure is so we can ensure there are enough staff to deliver safe care to women and families across our health board units, as the need for many of our staff to take preventative health measures for Covid-19 has made staffing very challenging.
“This decision has not been taken lightly, and we apologise to any women and families who were expecting to give birth at Tirion.”
Mr Dix said he was grateful to the health board’s staff who are working “exceptionally hard” to provide safe patient care at this difficult time.
“Please be assured that this is a temporary closure and Tiron Birth Centre will reopen again,” he added.
“We encourage any women and families to speak to their midwife about any questions they might have and they can also access the Facebook Bump Talk group where our teams can support any questions.
“We are extremely grateful to our communities for their understanding and support during this time.”
The Tirion Birth Unit opened its doors on March 9 last year and replaced the previous consultant-led maternity unit at the site.
It means that all women needing the expertise of a doctor cannot give birth at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital and will instead need to go to Prince Charles or Princess of Wales hospitals.
The hospital is also under threat of losing its A&E department under controversial plans to concentrate acute services at fewer hospitals due to a lack of consultants and middle-grade doctors.
Meanwhile, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board has been training its staff ahead of an expected influx of coronavirus cases.
A spokeswoman said critical care bed capacity at Prince Charles Hospital has been increased by 200%.
Visitors are asked not to visit any of Cwm Taf’s sites if they have a high temperature, a new and persistent cough, have returned from overseas travel in the last two weeks, are vulnerable as a result of chronic illness or medication, or are over 70 years old.
Only one person at a time will be allowed to visit wards between 3-4pm and 7-8pm, and no children under the age of 18 will be let in.
Mr Dix added “There will be a significant surge in demand for our health services over the coming weeks.
“Given the current situation we are asking the public to help us by keeping the number of visitors to hospital to a minimum, and over a shorter period of time, which help us reduce the spread of the virus.
“We understand that this is a difficult time and that each patient has individual needs of which family care and involvement could be key to their recovery.
“We would ask that you discuss with the ward sister/charge nurse if your family member has individualised needs.
“We also understand the importance of patients retaining contact with their loved ones. To enable this, if you can’t be there in person, we do offer free wifi throughout our hospitals.
“For those with access to smartphones or tablets, we would encourage virtual visiting as a great way of staying in touch with loved ones.”