Agenda item

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting on 2nd November, had passed the following motion on Access to Maternity Wards for Birthing Partners, which had been proposed by Councillor T. Kelly and seconded by Councillor Bunting:

“This Council notes with concern the current restrictions placed around access to maternity wards for birthing partners due to COVID-19. Furthermore, it recognises the varying measures across the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust area and the additional availability of 15 minute COVID-19 testing, agrees to write to the Health Minister asking that further consideration is given to a consistent approach thus allowing birthing partners to be afforded increased access to antenatal, maternity and neonatal services.”

            The City Solicitor informed the Committee that a response had now been received from the Minister of Health.

            The Minister had explained that the restriction of visitors to hospitals had been a key strategic component of managing the Covid-19 pandemic and that it had been introduced to protect patients, visitors and staff from the risk of infection.

            As a result of the Executive’s decision to invoke limited additional restrictions across Northern Ireland, in response to increasing Covid-19 transmissions, updated visiting guidance for maternity services had been published and had taken effect from 23rd September. The guidance had confirmed that the specific restrictions for each care setting were aligned to the pandemic alert levels/R value and were based on the best scientific advice available, with restrictions applying in line with the current regional alert level position. The Minister had pointed out that the alert level was currently at Level 4, which was defined as “a high or rising level of transmission – enforced social distancing”. This had meant that, for expectant mothers:

“Birth partners will be facilitated to accompany the pregnant women to dating scan, early pregnancy clinic, anomaly scan, in the event of pregnancy loss and bereavement, Foetal Medicine Department, when admitted to individual room for active labour (to be determined by midwife) and birth and, to visit in antenatal and postnatal wards for up to one hour once a week.”

            The Minister had referred to the fact that the motion had stated that varying measures were being applied across the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust area. He pointed out that these restrictions applied equally to all Health and Social Care Trust maternity settings across Northern Ireland. However, it should be noted that the decision to permit visitors into a facility on a day-to-day basis still rested with the midwife in charge and that it would be based on a risk assessment of that specific setting and was dependent upon the ability to ensure the safety of patients, staff and visitors.

            The Minister had then addressed the request for clarification on whether an additional availability of fifteen minute Covid-19 testing would allow for further consideration to be given to the restrictions. He explained that one of the key priorities of the Department of Health was to ensure that there was sufficient capacity to test everyone in Northern Ireland who required a test, in line with current policy. This included anyone who had symptoms, as well as testing to support the risk assessment and management of clusters and outbreaks. Routine Covid-19 testing, including fifteen minute testing, had not been implemented for partners of expectant mothers and there were no plans to do so. However, this position would be kept under review, as new scientific evidence and new technologies became available.

            The Minister had stressed that these restrictions were not just in place to protect patients and their visitors but were necessary due to the need to protect the safety of others, including other families, all health and social care staff and the wider population, through social distancing and the following of all infection control procedures. He confirmed that the visiting guidance, which was structured to take account of variances in the ongoing rate of infection across Northern Ireland, would remain in place for the duration of the pandemic. The guidance had been written in such a way as to require different levels of restriction, based upon the regional position in terms of surge assessment and that, whilst his officials kept the guidance under review, no significant changes were anticipated currently.

            The Minister had concluded by recognising that this has been a challenging time for all families and that the management of the crisis had meant that many difficult requests had been made and would continue to be made of the public around all aspects of health service provision. Normal maternity care provision, in particular, had had to be adapted to reduce the spread of infection and to protect expectant mothers, their families and those staff providing care.

            After discussion, the Committee noted the information which had been provided.