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LAST UPDATE | 12 Aug 2021
HSE CHIEF PAUL Reid has said he welcomes calls from campaigns for the publication of a roadmap on how maternity restrictions will be eased going forward, saying it would be “valuable”.
There has been criticism in recent months of the different approaches taken by maternity hospitals, with some found not to be fully compliant with official guidance – having tighter restrictions on partner access during labour and at pre-natal appointments.
Linda Kelly, a campaigner for better maternity care, said that women are being made to feel like “second-class citizens” by the ongoing restrictions in the country’s maternity units.
Kelly, who is one of thousands of mothers who gave birth since restrictions were brought in, said that a workable solution is needed for pregnant women and their partners.
“We are calling on the Cabinet sub-committee (on Covid-19) to publish a roadmap at the end of August to reopen, and that they include a dedicated road map for maternity so we know how we will come out of this situation,” Kelly said.
“There hasn’t been a consistent approach from the HSE as to why they are continuing to exclude partners from certain aspects of maternity care,” she said.
“That is one of things that has been distressing for families, is that there hasn’t been a logical, consistent position from the HSE.”
Campaigners also say that PCR tests or rapid antigen tests should be used by partners to gain access to appointments and maternity wards.
Speaking at the weekly HSE press briefing, Paul Reid said he welcomes the call for finding a roadmap to easing maternity restrictions.
He said:
“That’s the way we would like to move forward as well … trying to see that roadmap, I think that will be valuable for all of us.
The HSE chief said that a “finding a roadmap would be good”, but added that “it would be misleading to say we can predict when we’re going to be [back to] normal”.
Reid said he will be talking to the Chief Clinical Officer about the issues surrounding maternity hospitals “very shortly”.
When asked whether Covid-19 testing could play a role in maternity hospitals, Reid said: “Those are in the mix … at different stages of the transmission levels in the community, different solutions may offer themselves, whether that’s testing, vaccination, and we’re willing to look at all that.”
Rotunda issues
Yesterday, the Master of the Rotunda Maternity Hospital Professor Fergal Malone said restrictions at the facility could be eased if more patients and their partners were vaccinated.
He said higher vaccine uptake among expectant mothers and their partners would make it possible to ease restrictions further.
Professor Malone said that, for several months, the Rotunda has been significantly exceeding the HSE guidelines of 30 minutes of visiting time per day, by allowing patients up to six hours of visiting each day, and up to nine hours at weekends.
However, he added that in certain parts of the hospital, particularly the old main building, which dates back to 1757, there is no ventilation and there isn’t enough space to allow large numbers of people to sit together safely.
Professor Malone used the example of the ultrasound waiting room, which has only 12 seats.
“If I have eight or nine mothers sitting there and suddenly that’s 16 or 18 adults because they all have a partner with them in a small room that is not ventilated and not capable of being ventilated, that is a very serious risk,” he said.
And it’s the same with the emergency room waiting area, there’s only 10 seats there.
“If they’re all filled or most of them are filled by patients needing assessment, and I now double that by having their partner with them during that time, it’s just not safe.”
Speaking today, Paul Reid said he “fully supports the challenges that they have in the Rotunda, in particular”, noting the safety concerns regarding infrastructure.
“I think they are being significantly compliant with the guidance we gave, but they are being very clear,” Reid said.
Speaking yesterday about the infrastructure issues, Professor Malone added that every delivery room in the Rotunda is a single private room, meaning a woman’s partner can stay with them as soon as they are admitted to a room.
“Once a patient is admitted to the delivery room, whether she’s one centimetre dilated, or 10 centimetres dilated, of course, the patient’s partner will be with them for every minute of that journey,” he explained.
Malone added that the speed with which pregnant women can be moved into the single-occupancy rooms depends on how busy the hospital is at the time.
Eight rooms are currently available and this is shortly set to increase to 11.
⬇️Visiting guidelines update
— The National Maternity Hospital (@_TheNMH) August 12, 2021
Our #visitingguidelines are under constant review as we strive to do our very best to help protect women, babies & staff, while providing a safe environment in line with government guidance.
Visit https://t.co/tvnMxJiCBf for full details. Thank you pic.twitter.com/xkb9UWUlf0
The HSE’s director of acute hospitals Liam Woods said today that “most maternity hospitals are reporting as compliant with all requirements including the extended ones”, but added “there are some exceptions”.
He said of the 19 maternity hospitals, 14 will be “fully compliant” by this weekend.
“There’s a couple where they’re making physical space or changes within the hospital to facilitate with patients,” Woods said.
“There’s a couple of sites, the Rotunda being one, where the physical limitations are such that it’s very difficult to fully comply,” he said.
With reporting by Céimin Burke and Press Association
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Seriously? A person can go to a pub full of people, or a GGA match with thousands but not one of the most important moments of a relationship…
Stop the bus and let me off
@Paul Furey: As soon as anybody offers a critique or an opinion that goes against authority, out come the usual lickspittles.
@JedBartlett: hes a condescending pr1ck when typing, ill bet he sings a different tune when talking face to face to people.
@Paul Furey: Paul you are a prize Pr**k
@Paul Furey: notorious troII
@Larsen Cib: Never really adds any substance to comment threads. He just condescends and insults. Very juvenile.
@ Ahh Little man big mouth Pauls comment has mysteriously disappeared. The plot thickens, he must have some sort of admin access to delete his comment.
@Da Dell: i am guessing he is a paid troII
Isn’t Simon Harris’ wife pregnant? I expect a change very shortly so, or at least a clarification from the AG.
@John Duggan: Have you a list of the politicians or their partners that have given birth since the restrictions were in place. Probably not as that does not suit your narrative
@Denis Ryan: What an incredibly s!lly and childish comment.
@Football in the Groin: Why? The opening poster has alluded that restrictions will change because of Simon Harris wife being pregnant rather than where we are in the fight against the virus. To counter this I asked him can he list politicians or partners who completed their pregnancies during the restrictions.
I’m due my first baby in 2 weeks. I’m preparing to labour as long as possible at home so I can be with my husband. I have researched and done a lot of reading on going to hospital last minute. Luckily we live 5 minutes from the maternity hospital.
This is the extreme I have to go to to have my husband with me all throughout my labour. I’m only hoping I don’t go over my due date and have to deal with an induction where he won’t be with me.
This is an unbelievable way to be treated by the country I have lived my whole life in.
I have no faith in our health service and I don’t believe they have women’s best interests at heart.
@Triona Dunworth: Glad you live near a hospital, I know people over a hours drive from their maternity hospital where the husband will have to drive the missus, wait in the car and maybe whizz in the bushes if the current rules continue :(
@Sarah-J. Mc Hugh: Only 41% of whizzing fathers are vaccinated versus 80% of the adult population. Its a little strange and thoughtless maybe??
@Chris Gaffney: Where did you get these figures from?? I don’t remember seeing any statistics anywhere regarding expectant father’s vaccination status.
@Franny Ando: It was on the radio for the last few days and confirmed by the master of the Rotunda. Good enough fir me. 39% of admitted mothers and 41% of the partners vaccinated. Sounds pretty dumb to me. Would you agree???
@Chris Gaffney: Expectant parents interviewed today said they were never asked their vaccination status. So somebody is telling porkies.
@Chris Gaffney: actually it probably shouldnt be good enough for you, the figures were collected and released by the Rotunda themselves, the reason your heard it on the radio is because stations were reading out the Rotundas statement. The Rotunda stated they carried out a survey but haven’t released the virables of that survey.
@Emma Dooley: i just mustnt be as clever as you and the other commenter.
This lad on nearly 500 k a year and this is what he comes up with. Money well spent
@Darren Lambe: dont you worry, soon you will get taxed even more in the name of the climate change so that he and his colleagues can get another pay rise.
Is he not the boss
Great to see that Aontú have submitted a bill that will give partners the right to support mothers at maternity hospitals.
https://aontu.ie/new-bill-to-give-partners-the-right-to-support-mothers-at-maternity-hospitals
@Eric Nelligan: Hopefully assuming both have the brains to be vaccinated first?
Is he for real!! Is that not his remit as C.E.O of the HSE
@Franny Ando: I tried to comment something similar but it was perceived as toxic – I even omitted the language I felt like using… absolutely disgusting that a man on his salary will not make these decisions
@Angela Lavin: Its strange sometimes what is classed as toxic on here.
@Franny Ando: But agree completely with your comment.
@Franny Ando: nobody, including the man himself, seems to be sure what his remit is. Not sure how he got the gig in the first place as his background is neither in medicine nor science.
I thought they announced last week that the restrictions would be lifted this week!!!
Roadmap to solving healthcare system in general would be valuable.
It would be valuable?? No sh!t Sherlock!!
Really!
If the mothers or partners havn’t accepted their vaccine I wouldn’t let them in in the first place. Totally negligent!!
@Chris Gaffney: negligent?? Pregnant women can take pretty much no medication but are expected to take a vaccine that hasn’t been tested. I don’t think it’s the pregnant women that are being negligent here…
@Sarah Feeney Farrell: Total unfounded garbage. There is zero factual scientific opinion to agree with you.
@Chris Gaffney: the baby can get Covid.. people here are asking why hospitals aren’t riddled with Covid…
I remember my child being born as one of the happiest day of my life.. but my happiness would compromise my child, his mother or anyone I would be in other side of the world…
My mother was born while my grandfather went shooting (he was GP). They shot a widgeon and that is my mothers name today…
Safety first
@Chris Gaffney: I’m a pregnant scientist due in two weeks, fully vaccinated and have done my research – there’s absolutely no risk with getting the vaccine. The issue is that there hasn’t been enough done to inform pregnant women who aren’t scientifically educated. However, many who are due now would have missed the deadline for second vaccine as they were slow prioritising us and we need both shots before 36 weeks. For partners, it’s not fair to call them negligent…many of them are in their 20′s and 30′s so couldn’t be fully vaccinated now because of the rollout. My husband is 32 and got his vax ASAP but is only considered fully vaxxed since last week. I assume the study did not take into account first shots…if they looked at this again in 4 weeks, it would be very different stats.
@CCScience: I wish you were right but I heard 2 partners being interviewed today with the auld “I am not putting anything into my body until I am 100% ….bla bla bla.” It really is hard to listen to idiots thinking they can second guess the science!
Ah for the good old days. My dad called up to a friend’s house to go for a game of golf. There was an ambulance outside the house because The friend’s wife had just gone into labour and was there to bring her to the maternity hospital The lads went off to play golf anyway (this was the 50’s). Men aren’t much use in a labour ward anyway
@Virgil: plenty of ways a man can be useful in labour ward. From something as simple as getting the baby’s first outfit ready to providing counter pressure and massage to his partners back during contractions to help ease her pain. Times certainly have changed, dad’s want to be more involved and thank goodness for that.
You can’t sue a bus stop but you can sue the hse
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