Visiting Policy - Saint Mary's Hospital

For maternity services based at Saint Mary’s Hospital Oxford Road, Saint Mary’s based at Wythenshawe Hospital and Maternity services based at North Manchester General Hospital:

All women can be accompanied by one named person (adult) throughout their antenatal care
One named person may accompany a woman for all pregnancy ultrasounds scans.
One essential visitor and one named birth partner are permitted for all women attending delivery units or birth centres.
One essential visitor and one named visitor are permitted in maternity wards where the risk is low or medium and one essential visitor if the level of risk is assessed as high.
An essential visitor is someone who supports a women with additional needs, such as an interpreter or carer.

In order to protect our patients and staff, visitors who refuse to comply with Infection Control requirements will be asked to leave the Trust’s premises.

Visitors are advised not to visit any Trust premises if they are unwell; have a high temperature; a new continuous cough; a loss of or change to their sense of smell; or have had contact with a confirmed or suspected Covid-19 case. Visitors who have had Covid-19 infection must have been free of symptoms for 14 days before they are permitted to visit. Visitors who are vulnerable as a result of their medication, chronic illness, or are over the age of 70 are advised not to visit if possible.

In order to support families to maintain contact during a patient’s admission, processes have been put in place in our inpatient areas to support and encourage patients to access virtual visiting and alternative means of communicating with family and friends if they are able to do so.

In areas where visiting is restricted, our clinical staff are expected to maintain daily contact with an identified family member, as agreed by the patient or identified through a best interest process if the patient is not able to do so. The frequency of contact may be reduced if this is agreed by the patient and family.

We will continue to review the policy as new national guidance is received and in accordance with the local prevalence of Covid-19.

Thank you for your continued understanding and co-operation with these arrangements to help keep patients, staff and visitors safe.