Visitors

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

A partner/support person can attend all outpatient appointments including antenatal appointments and ultrasound scans.  They must not attend if they are symptomatic or positive of COVID-19. Please do not bring children to your appointments unless you absolutely have to.

Across all maternity units, two named visitors are allowed to visit throughout the duration of your stay. Visitors can visit one at a time, unless on labour wards or the natural birth centre.

Labour ward and birthing unit

Your partner/support person will be able to remain with you throughout your labour and birth, whether this is in the birth centre, labour ward or theatre. When you come in for your initial assessment in labour, your partner/support person will be able to remain with you. 

Your second support person may also attend for labour and birth. They may only be present in the birth areas and only one support person is able to be present in theatre. 

• You can only have one person with you at any time, though this person can be interchanged with one other person.  
• This means you can identify two people to be your support and they can swap between them during the times they can be present on the wards.  
• If a person is staying overnight they cannot be interchangeable and must remain the same person. 
• This second identified person can be with you for labour and birth in addition to your partner/support person. Your second support person is only able to be with you while you are in a Birth Centre or Labour Ward room and this does not include the operating theatre or antenatal or postnatal ward areas. 
• Your second support person can stay with you after the birth until you are ready to transfer to the postnatal ward, at which point they will need to leave. 
• Following birth in the postnatal period your partner/support person may also stay overnight on the first night only.  This should be the same person that may have stayed overnight in the antenatal period if applicable.

Simpson unit

• Visiting 8am–10pm by one nominated partner—no other visitors (family or friends) or partners staying overnight. 

Antenatal and postnatal wards

After giving birth, if you are not going home within six hours, you will be admitted to the postnatal ward. Your partner/support person is able to be with you between the hours of 8am and 8pm and the first night following birth. Your two nominated support people may swap with each other but only one person can be present at any one time on the postnatal ward and no interchanging at night.

• Open visiting (24 hours) by one nominated partner (this may be a different person during the daytime. 
• A partner/support person can attend all outpatient appointments including antenatal appointments. They must not attend if they are symptomatic or positive of COVID-19. Please do not bring children to your appointments unless you absolutely have to. 
• Your OWN children may visit in the postnatal period between 3pm and 5pm. 

Partners may stay overnight on the antenatal and postnatal wards. Unfortunately we are unable to provide beds due to space limitations and hospital beds cannot accommodate two adults. All visitors and partners are requested to wear suitable daytime clothing at all times. Toilet facilities can be found in the labour ward.

West Middlesex University Hospital

Partners

• Visiting 8am–8pm for partners.
• If a partner cannot make it then one designated person may take their place—please agree this with the postnatal team beforehand.
• Partners are permitted to stay overnight in single rooms only—if no single rooms are available, permission should be obtained from the other mothers in the four-bedded bays for a partner to remain overnight.

Other visitors

• Siblings of the newborn are the only children permitted on the ward and may visit between 3-5pm daily.
• Other children under the age of 16 are not permitted to visit, except in exceptional circumstances and with the agreement of the team.