Maternity COVID-19 information

COVID-19 Changes to Maternity Services

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has relaxed visiting restrictions in maternity services further.

Two birthing partners per woman/birthing person now welcomed on our delivery suites and Midwifery Led Birthing Units (MLBU).

One partner can accompany a pregnant women/person for the entirety of their antenatal appointments.

Visiting restrictions on our postnatal wards across both our maternity units (Bedford and the Luton and Dunstable Hospitals) has also changed.

Visiting slots for Orchard ward at Bedford Hospital and Ward 33 at the L&D will now be as follows:

• 9am to 9pm – birth partner or other adult support person only
• 3pm to 8pm – two adult visitors per woman/birthing person (this includes the birth partner and one other – both need to stay the same) as well as siblings
• Siblings of the newborn are welcome between 3pm to 8pm, if accompanied by a responsible adult (not the mother)

Siblings are now welcome back in maternity, between 3pm and 8pm daily.

• Between 3pm and 8pm daily
• Siblings under 16 years must be supervised by an accompanying adult visitor and remain by the woman’s/person’s bedside throughout the visiting time
• There is no need to pre-book a time slot or restrictions on the length of time that visitors can stay within the 5 hour period
• The midwife in charge will have the right to reduce the number of visitors when required to avoid overcrowding

We know this additional relaxing of restrictions will be welcome news to women/birthing people and their support partners.

There is no longer a requirement for everyone to wear facemasks within clinical areas on our sites. However, if you still choose to wear a facemask, you should feel comfortable to continue to do so.

We have to be extremely careful about our visiting restrictions, especially when there are higher incidences of infection cases locally. As such, it is important to note that the relaxing of restrictions could change at short notice if it becomes unsafe to continue. We do still need to be mindful that coronavirus is still with us and there are precautions that we still need to adhere to, to not only protect patients but to also protect our staff, keep them well so they can continue to provide safe and essential quality patient care.

Overnight visiting

We appreciate that for many of you, having the opportunity to have a partner / companion with you throughout the night to provide practical support with the baby is a source of comfort and provides the family a chance to bond.

From 1 August, we will be welcoming one birth partner per woman / person to stay overnight at our maternity units.

This includes:

• Orchard Ward, Bedford Hospital
• Ward 32, L&D
• Ward 33, L&D

Bedfordshire Hospitals recognises that not all women / birthing people choose to have their birth partner stay with them overnight, for a variety of reasons. For the comfort of all parties, we will aim to provide a bay where there will be no partners staying overnight.

If you are staying overnight, you will need to agree to the conditions which will be shared with you on the ward.

Please note that parking overnight in the hospital grounds is not free. Normal parking charges apply when you are here. We would advise that you park your car outside the hospital in nearby parking spaces/meters if staying overnight. Please ask you midwife for longer stay permits.

Antenatal appointments