Father’s Covid concern about ante-natal clinic
AN expectant father has highlighted what he believes is a potentially dangerous situation in the ante-natal waiting area of Wexford General Hospital.
The man whose wife is due to give birth to their second child soon, said that in his opinion, the ante-natal clinic is in breach of Covid regulations, and is endangering the safety of the women who are attending.
Earlier this month, his wife attended the clinic for a check-up with her doctor. It was due to be a quick meeting to see how she was and to finalise a date for her to be induced.
He said she was given an appointment time of 1 p.m. and arrived at 12.55 p.m. to be told by the receptionist that the appointment time was incorrect and should have been 1.30 p.m.
His wife explained that this time was given to her the previous week by another receptionist in the same clinic. She was told to take a seat in the waiting area and was advised that she would be seen as soon as the doctor was available.
Her hubsand said she proceeded to the waiting area where about 12 other waiting women were assembled in an area with no windows open for ventilation.
‘My wife got talking to one of the other women and learned that they had all been given appointments for 1-1.30 p.m. She was also informed that there was a woman who had just been seen who had been there since 9 a.m. that morning.
‘She was in this waiting area for over one and a half hours before she was seen. The “consultation” took less than five minutes, and she was then asked to return to the waiting room to be called back to learn the date she would be brought in to be induced.
‘ This took approximately 30 minutes longer. So in total my wife was in a non-ventilated waiting room for just over two hours with about a dozen other women. At no time did anyone come to notify them of any delays or approximate times that the doctor would see them.
‘I cannot believe that in this current climate where you are not allowed to meet up in groups indoors or outdoors that this could be allowed in a hospital/clinic with vulnerable pregnant women.
‘I do not see how there was a duty of care given to my wife and the other women that were in that clinic.’
He said there seemed to be no organisation or allocation of appointment times at all, with everyone given the same time of 1.30 p.m.
‘It seems to be done on some sort of first come first served basis. This to me is completely against all NEPHET guidelines. How can regulations be followed when you have more than 10 people in a room not adequately ventilated.
‘ This clear disregard for the regulations is especially difficult when I as a partner am not allowed to support my wife by attending any of these checkups or scans and will only be allowed in near the end of her labour
‘How is it okay that I’m only allowed in for an hour after the birth and yet she can be in the same room with 12 other women from 12 different households for over two hours with no ventilation. How can that be safe.
‘My wife was saying that this was the largest gathering she has been in since she became pregnant.
‘We live in a small family bubble and are restricting our movements. We are not allowed to see other people and we can’t have people to our house’.
‘ They may offer the excuse that everyone was wearing masks inside. If so, this could be used by others as an excuse for having indoor gatherings.
‘Any excuse that this was a once-off situation is untrue as it also happened the previous week. That time it was even longer as my wife had a scan and a doctor’s appointment.
‘If this has happened to us I can guarantee that it is not an isolated occurrence.
I am very angry and upset about this and I think it should be highlighted.’
He said he had lodged a complaint through the HSE website.