U-turn on allowing partners to attend hospital baby scans
HEALTH bosses in Stockport have backtracked on a decision to allow partners to attend baby scans.
Last month, Stepping Hill Hospital announced plans to ease restrictions so mums-to-be did not have to attend the scans alone.
But after local lockdown measures were imposed on Greater Manchester, the hospital has now reversed that decision saying the ‘addition of a further person in our small scan rooms was an increased risk to both our staff and your family’.
A spokesman for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust said further risk assessments were being undertaken and maternity staff were ‘working towards introducing partners attending scans as soon as we possibly can’.
He added: “We were planning on reintroducing partners attending scans but with the new lockdown situation unfortunately we had to delay this due to the current Greater Manchester position.”
Birth partners in Stockport are also still restricted to one.
A message on the Stockport Maternity Voices Partnership Facebook page said: “Unfortunately the decision made by and communicated in partnership with Sharon Hyde, Head of Midwifery at Stepping Hill has had to be retracted following a change in the Covid-19 situation locally.
“Women must attend all scans alone until further notice.”
It adds: “We would like to update the current situation in relation to a partner attending your 20 week scan appointment - unfortunately due to the change in Covid risk in Greater Manchester we have had to take the difficult decision to defer our reintroduction of allowing partners to attend this scan appointment.
“We are going to review and revise our pathways with a view to allowing partners back as soon as possible.
“We can assure you that we have carried out robust risk assessments for you to attend the appointment and keep you safe but the addition of a further person in our small scan rooms was an increased risk to both our staff and your family.
“We are sorry that you have either been told or saw information that suggested you could now bring a partner with you to this scan, but circumstances have changed and this is out of our control and the decision is driven by the need to control the spread of Covid-19 infection.”