Managing people who pose a risk to attending or visiting maternity units
Lucy Pearsall (Quality Improvement Manager) & Anneliese Hillyer-Thake (Assistant Director of Nursing Safeguarding and Quality)
The creation of this regional document was to support a standardised approach across all East of England (EoE) maternity services. This document should be read in conjunction with your local safeguarding policies and the wider Trust policy on managing patients who may pose a risk. Whilst the document focus is on inpatient services, risks posed in outpatient settings (community / antenatal clinic/ day assessment units / triage) should also be considered.
The EoE Risk assessment and management of people posing a risk within perinatal services sets out best practice when responding to cases where there are risks identified at any time during the pregnancy and promotes a standardised approach to managing, reporting and learning.
A number of complex scenarios highlighted wider challenges, including requests for formal clarification of contact that would not be permitted (e.g. attendance at birth permitted under 1:1 supervision, but exclusion from ward areas or the neonatal unit where supervision cannot be guaranteed).
This raised broader considerations around how to implement proportionate restrictions that safeguard patients and staff, whilst balancing the experience of those accessing the health services and considering their human rights surrounding being present at the birth of their child.
