The ongoing lockdown in Greater Sydney and surrounding areas has had a profound impact on the safety of pregnant, birthing and postnatal women and people. 

Partners have been forced to apply for exemptions to be present as a support person for the birth of their child. In some cases, exemption applications have been denied, or not completed in the first place due to language and other accessibility issues, and partners are being turned away leaving women to birth alone.

Partners who attend as support people during birth have then been told to leave the hospital soon after, unable to return until their partners and baby were ready for discharge. In short, families accessing maternity care in some hospitals have been separated and traumatised during what should be the happiest time of their lives.

On 30th July 2021, Dr Nigel Lyons, Deputy Secretary of Health System Strategy and Planning sent a memor to the CEOs of all NSW Local Health Districts (LHDs) entitled “New visitor category: participants in care for inpatient maternity settings”.

The memo from Dr. Lyons asked “all LHDs to ensure that one person (partner or support person) is permitted to be with a pregnant woman during labour and birth and on the postnatal ward during the hospital stay. One partner or support person should be nominated by each woman for this period.”

The advice is in line with version 1.5 of the “COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control manual for acute and non-acute healthcare settings” issued by the Clinical Excellence Commission on 27th July 2021, which introduced a new category of visitor called “participant in care” and highlighted its relevance across the continuum of maternity care.

This document also noted that provision of a support person should apply even in “High transmission Red alert” situations (pg. 53) and reaffirms the World Health organization advice that mothers who have tested positive to COVID-19 should not be separated from their babies as there is no evidence to support separation (pg. 162).

Our concern is that this advice was communicated with LHDs as a memo only, and some Sydney hospitals have, to date, chosen to ignore it. Birthing and postnatal women and families continue to be separated against the advice of the NSW Health recommendations, the Clinical Excellence Commission’s report, and World Health Organisation advice.

Pregnant families in Newcastle and the Hunter are scared. We fear what will happen to us and our babies, we fear being alone and at such a vulnerable yet precious time.

We urge you to make a public commitment to the pregnant women and families within the HNE Health region of care that you will uphold the recommendations from your own health department regarding provision of one support person throughout the inpatient maternity care continuum including induction, labour, birth and postnatal stay.

On behalf of families in our area, we request:

1.     A public statement from Hunter New England LHD regarding their intention to allow one support person throughout the inpatient maternity care continuum including induction, labour, birth and postnatal stay as a “participant in care”.

2.     Assurance that the support person will be admitted without having to apply for an exemption.

3.     Reassurance that mothers and babies will not be separated unnecessarily, regardless of their COVID-19 status.

4.     That all pregnant women and pregnant people are informed of their rights to a support person prior to attending the hospital for their birth.

5.     That these requests shall be carried through in their entirety at all hospitals under your jurisdiction without exception.

Please hear our calls to act with humanity and compassion in these unprecedented times.

Please put our families first by ensuring basic human rights and dignity throughout the maternity care journey.

Please follow the advice of the Clinical Excellence Commission and facilitate best outcomes for our already anxious women and families.

Thank you for hearing our concerns and asking swiftly to effect positive change.