Pregnant healthcare staff pressured into Covid-19 frontline

Pregnant healthcare workers are being pushed into working at the frontline of the coronavirus crisis, despite being classed as a vulnerable group by the government, the Guardian has learned.

Organisations supporting pregnant women are fielding calls for help from healthcare workers who are being told they must work – sometimes without personal protective equipment – even though they fear for their unborn children.

The Guardian has heard from healthcare assistants, care home workers, nurses, physiotherapists and NHS childcare workers who in many cases have capitulated to the pressure, or have taken unpaid leave or sick pay.

One healthcare assistant said she and another pregnant colleague were in direct contact with Covid-19 patients. “We are disgusted with the treatment and stress they are putting in us at this already stressful time,” she said.

Lobby groups and charities have written to the the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) urging it to change its guidance, which states women who are less than 28 weeks pregnant can continue in non-Covid patient-facing roles if necessary precautions are taken.

More than 50,000 people have signed a petition calling for more clarity and paid leave for pregnant healthcare workers.

Some pregnant women are being “gaslighted” by bosses and sometimes colleagues to go to work on the frontline, with a number of health trusts interpreting the RCOG guidelines differently, said Joeli Brearley, a charity founder said.

“These women are really scared,” said Brearley. “Because this is being phrased as a woman’s choice, it is causing serious anxiety to women who don’t want to go to work but are being made to feel like they don’t want to help out during this crisis.”

One emergency-trained theatre nurse, who is 18 weeks pregnant and has miscarried five times, said she was redeployed in a “clean” intensive care unit for non-Covid patients but has since dealt with seriously ill ventilated patients waiting for Covid test results.

When she asked to be redeployed she was told she would have to go on sick leave despite having a letter from her GP.

“I am not the only pregnant nurse working in my area, none of us has been treated with respect since the Covid outbreak,” said the 26-year-old. “I am disappointed with the NHS. Staff are not being protected at all.”

In a recent survey of 3,004 pregnant women carried out by a charity, 34% of 261 pregnant NHS workers who took part said they were still working and worried about their safety.

Legally all employers must carry out a risk assessment for pregnant workers, and if they cannot remove the risk of infection find an alternative role or suspend on full pay.

It is unlawful for employers to force workers to take sick pay, holiday or unpaid leave.

In recent days 111 workers who had been at home on full pay are now being told their workplace is safe, said Brearley.

One 37-year-old, who is pregnant after her “last chance” of IVF, said she was told to return to work on the day she received the call. “Now I’m venturing into the peak of the pandemic in the worst situation I could think of,” she said.

Her GP told her all NHS workers were scared and worried but were “getting on with it” before asking her not to contact the practice again. “I’ve been left feeling incredibly guilty,” she said.