Eluned Morgan, Minister for Health and Social Services
The Welsh Government is publishing a revised Annex 2 on visiting in maternity and neonatal services, the NHS Wales Hospital Visiting Guidance that will come into force on 9 May 2022. This supersedes previously published Guidance of 21 June 2021.
The health, safety and wellbeing of pregnant women, birthing people and their babies and the staff in maternity and neonatal units and in the community is crucial and remains our absolute priority. I continue to expect all requests for visiting in healthcare settings to be treated with compassion and empathy whilst ensuring the patient’s best interests are met and local risk assessment processes are followed.
The guidance being published today continues to categorise a nominated partner supporting a woman during hospital visits as an essential visitor. Equally parents/primary care givers are partners in neonatal care, and as such should never be considered as visitors to neonatal units and must also be considered essential to their baby’s health and wellbeing.
The guidance spells out the key principles we can expect to be followed in every health board in Wales to ensure pregnant mothers and babies receive an equity of experience wherever they receive their care.
There are no other amendments to the main hospital visiting guidance nor the accompanying supplementary statement.
The guidance can be found by following this link:
Hospital visiting during the coronavirus outbreak guidance: July 2021 [HTML] | GOV.WALES