CONTINUATION of restrictions at the University Maternity Hospital in Limerick (UMHL) caused ‘desperate upset’, hospital chiefs have acknowledged.
Maternity hospitals and units have been slow to relax COVID-19 restrictions despite pressure to allow more visitors.
Although the country has reopened with the Omicron wave under control, maternity services are still following December guidance to facilitate access to a woman’s nominated support partner for labour, birth and scans. Pregnant women must attend out-patient appointments alone and extended family and children are not allowed to visit, except on special grounds.
Tragic instances have occurred during the pandemic were woman who have had a miscarriage have been unable to have their partner by their side. Also, occasions which should have been joyous for new parents saw mothers give birth in the absence of their partner.
Responding to queries from The Clare Echo at a briefing of UL Hospitals Group this week, Chief Clinical Director, Prof Brian Lenehan said the presence of restrictions on maternity services were “a challenge for everybody but mainly patients and their partners”. Infrastructure, curtain spaces and “very little space for physical distancing or privacy” were cited as reasons for the restrictions.
He added, “At every opportunity, when we got to relieve restrictions, we tried to lead out. I don’t think anybody on the hospital executive wanted to prevent partners from being in attendance with pregnant women particularly on the issue with a miscarriage or something of a threat of miscarriage. It was something we spoke of daily”.
Group Chief Executive of UL Hospitals Group, Colette Cowan said management were “desperately upset about having to impose restrictions on women and their partners surrounding the most important event of having a new born child”. She added, “I do get the upset from the public on it, they contact me regularly and I agree with them”.
Cowan said the existing building was “not fit for purpose” and noted aspirations for a new maternity hospital estimated to cost €250m which is listed as a core project in the Ireland 2040 plan “that must be delivered for the region and the women of the region”. Design work is to commence on this, she stated but cautioned that the entire project will take approximately eight years.
