Partners will be able to support mums-to-be at all of their antenatal appointments at Walsall Manor Hospital from Tuesday 4 May 2021. 

Restrictions were partially lifted earlier this month to allow partners to attend the 12 and 20 week maternity scans as long as they have taken a Lateral Flow Test before the appointment and received a negative result.

Partners have also been able to attend all pre-booked Consultant reviews, anomaly scans and pre-booked appointments at the Fetal Assessment Unit, following a negative result.

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust has since been working to lift restrictions further whilst making the environment as safe as possible for service users and staff alike.

Carla Jones-Charles, Divisional Director of Midwifery, Gynaecology and Sexual Health and Alan Deacon, Divisional Director of Clinical Support Services, said: “Our ultrasound team has been working hard to ensure partners are able to attend all scans.

“We are pleased to announce that from early next month partners will be able to attend all antenatal appointments – but this is obviously dependant on them taking a Lateral Flow Test before the appointment and receiving a negative result.

“We appreciate how tough the necessary restrictions have been for all those mums-to-be who have used our services throughout the pandemic but we have had to prioritise their safety and also take care of our own staff.”

Full details of how partners can access free Lateral Flow Tests, along with how to use them, are available on our Walsall Healthcare website and across Walsall Healthcare’s Facebook and Twitter.

If the appointment is in the morning, partners will need to take the test the night before. If the appointment is in the afternoon, they will need to take the test that morning.

We will try to support those without internet access or a smartphone if they contact us ahead of the appointment.

We are also asking everyone who uses our services to continue to play their part in reducing infection risk by wearing a face covering, washing their hands or using the hand sanitiser provided and maintaining a two-metre distance. If anyone is experiencing Covid-19 symptoms which are a new, continuous cough, high temperature, or a change or loss in taste or smell they should not come into the hospital but contact their midwife or the maternity unit for advice.