Some maternity units are still not following HSE guidelines on partner visits during pregnancy, the Health Minister has admitted.
It comes three weeks after Stephen Donnelly promised that every hospital in Ireland would be observing the same rules on maternity visits “by the end of the day.”
He made the pledge more than a month after he instructed the HSE to contact all 19 maternity units and tell them “very clearly” that NPHET believed visits should happen “at a minimum” under four scenarios.
These were: For 30 minutes each day, throughout the entire labour process, during the 20-week scan and during neo-natal intensive care.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has admitted there still isn't full compliance from maternity units in allowing partners in for various stages of pregnancy. Says Dept is putting pressure on to get this up - but doesn't give any timeline
— Seán Defoe (@SeanDefoe) July 14, 2021
Speaking at the Oireachtas Health Committee today, he said it was a “source of frustration” that some units were still not following all the guidelines.
He said hospitals that have multi-occupancy ante-natal units have been unable to follow some of the guidelines – and insisted the same units had to be extra careful before the pandemic began.
“This is a source of frustration for women and their partners, it is a source of frustration for me and I know it is a source of frustration for the HSE as well,” he said.
“The situation right now is, we have very clear guidance on daily visits - a minimum of 30 minutes - the anomaly scan, neo-natal intensive care and birth, obviously – right from the start, be that induced and right through.
“It hasn’t been always possible to facilitate visits in the multi-occupancy ante-natal wards before labour – that is for infection prevention and control reasons.
“Often pre-COVID, it would have been the case that visiting arrangements in ante-natal wards would have had to be mindful of the women there, particularly in these wards.”
He also confirmed that not all maternity units are complying with guidelines on emergency visits issued by the HSE last month.
It comes after a host of listeners told Newstalk they were not permitted to be with their partners while they were suffering miscarriages and other complications.
“The HSE has advised that updated guidance was issued on June 24th relating to the unplanned attendances – this is the emergency presentations because there has been a real issue there and it is arguably the most important time,” said Minister Donnelly.
He said officials have surveyed compliance at all 19 units and, as of this week:
- 18 of the 19 units are allowing partners to visit early assessment units.
- 12 of the 19 are allowing high-risk pregnancy visits.
- 15 of the 19 are allowing partners to stay with pregnant people during emergency presentations.
“I am engaging with the HSE to get that up to full compliance across all 19 units,” said Minister Donnelly.
“It is a lot higher than it was so we pushed for compliance on the four original criteria, then moved on to early attendance and emergency – that is moving at pace but there isn’t full compliance yet.
“I am very conscious … I am aware of individual cases - I am sure you are too - very difficult cases where there are emergency presentations and there still isn’t access for the partner, which is causing huge grief and huge problems for the woman and for the partner as well.”
He said the HSE would continue working towards full compliance from all 19 units.
