In response to parent feedback, an open visiting trial is to take place at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL).
From 15th September, open visiting will be made available at WWL’s Royal Albert Edward Infirmary (RAEI) for one named birth partner visiting the Maternity Ward, as part of an eight-week trial.
Currently, two birth partners can attend with the mother whilst she is on the delivery suite at RAEI, but both must leave when mother and baby are transferred to the ward if this is outside of visiting hours. Throughout the new trial, one birth partner will continue to have access to open visiting 24/7 with no restrictions for the induction of labour bay, delivery suite and maternity ward. This named birth partner will be identified by a wristband which will be applied on admission and removed on discharge.
Cathy Stanford, Divisional Director of Midwifery and Child Health, said: “Feedback from our families is incredibly important to us and our monthly report from our Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships (MNVP) showed that many new mothers feel they need more time with their birth partners than what they currently have. Along with the results from a survey in April, which showed us that 92% would prefer open visiting in comparison to current visiting hours, we are pleased to announce that this eight-week trial will be going ahead. Safe, effective care, and the wellbeing of our mothers, babies and their families, will always be our priority, and we hope that they will be happy to hear that we have made these temporary changes. As always, we welcome any views they may have in response to this update.”
The trial is set to run until early November and surveys will be taken to receive feedback from staff and patients throughout.