To help protect pregnant women visiting our hospitals, as well as their families and our staff, we are encouraging them and their partners to take a lateral flow test 24 hours before attending their appointment.

As well as helping to keep everyone safe, this will play a key role in allowing us to further relax the visiting restrictions in our Maternity department. Read more about our maternity visiting restrictions.

Lateral flow tests, which show within 30 minutes whether or not you have Covid-19, are free and can be ordered via the gov.uk website. Alternatively, you can also find out where to pick up tests close to your home, or have a test at a testing centre near you.

There are lots of resources to support you on the national portal, including a video demonstration on how to self-test, as well as instructions in a range of languages.

Women and their partners are encouraged to take a test before attending any outpatient, community or scan appointments. They will be asked to show their results when booking in – either by the confirmation text message received when having a test at an external site, or via the text received after uploading their own results from an at-home test, or an image on their phone.

Sue Lovell, our Director of Midwifery, said: “By taking these tests before an appointment, women and their partners are helping us to keep our hospitals safe for them and their families, as well as other pregnant women and our staff.

“This will also enable us to look at further relaxing our visiting restrictions, allowing partners or family members offering support to spend more time in our hospitals with new mothers.”

The safety of women and their babies is our top priority and no one will be turned away from their appointment if they are unable to show a test result.

In an emergency, women should come straight to hospital without delay, if necessary, alternative arrangements for a lateral flow test can be made at an appropriate time.

Find out more about our maternity services via our web page.