Coronavirus (COVID - 19) Information Hub

Covid-19 will remain a risk to us all for the foreseeable future. We understand that this is a difficult time and that the restrictions that we have in place and the amount of information being communicated can be overwhelming at times.

We would like to summarise here the main things that you need to be aware of and the expectations we have of you to work with us by following the below guidelines to keep everyone safe.

1. When entering the hospital you will have your temperature checked and you will be expected to wear a face covering. If you do not have a face covering of your own you will be given a face mask.
   
2. Unless you are given special permission you must not leave and re-enter the building once inside - you will be expected to stay inside the building until you are ready to leave following your appointment or procedure. Leaving and re-entering the building for non-essential reasons (e.g. to collect takeaway food deliveries) will not be allowed.
   
3. Follow the directional signage in the hospital to maintain social distancing at all times and avoid standing in high footfall areas such as corridors.
   
4. Please maintain good hand hygiene at all times by washing your hands regularly and making use of hand sanitisers when entering and leaving each area of the hospital.
   
5. We ask you to respect staff that you come into contact with and understand that aggressive behaviour will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
   
6. The hospital shop and Costa Coffee are available for patients and visitors along with vending machines however the Just Deli restaurant is currently restricted for staff use only.
   
7. When you leave the hospital please dispose of your face mask in the clinical waste stations and remember to sanitise your hands.
   
8. If you are feeling unwell at any time when you are within the hospital with Covid-19 symptoms, please speak to a member of staff straight away.

We are all in this together and we would like to thank you for your support.

This is a fast-changing situation. Please keep visiting this page where we will announce any changes to the way our services are operating. 

Unless you are advised otherwise, your existing appointments will be going ahead as normal. If there is any change to this the Trust will contact you in advance to let you know. 

• Maternity services: Reinstatement of home birth service.

  Following the recent decision to temporarily suspend our home birth service we are delighted to announce we will be reinstating the service with immediate effect.

  Our Community Midwives will be contacting all women who are booked in for a home birth to inform them of the reinstatement of this service and to support them in their birth choices.

  Please note, it is our priority to keep all women and babies in our care safe during the Covid-19 pandemic, therefore we will continue to monitor the situation weekly.

  Please keep checking our website/COVID-19 information hub for updates. 

  Information reviewed: 16.42 Tuesday 5th May 2020 

• Fertility services: for the latest updates on fertility services and how they are resuming following recent temporary closure due to Covid-19 please visit The Hewitt Fertility Centre website.

• Community Midwifery: clinics are still running, however patients are advised not to bring any family members with you to the GP Surgery, Children’s Centre or Hospital during this time.

• Gynaecology Emergency Department (GED): Telephone triage line introduced for Gynaecology Emergency Department - call 0151 702 4140

  If you have an acute gynaecological or early pregnancy problem, call 0151 702 4140 to speak to a member of our nursing team.  The nurse will assess your problem and where appropriate will arrange for you to either be seen immediately in the Emergency Department, to receive a call back from a doctor or nurse practitioner or arrange for you to attend a see and treat appointment in our Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit.

  Occasionally, there are long waiting times to speak to a member of the nursing team. We apologise for this and are working to improve the service.  If your symptoms are not severe, please keep trying.

  If you are unable to access the service, particularly if you have severe pain or heavy bleeding, please attend Liverpool Women’s and you will be directed to the GED.

• Gynaecology Elective Activity: From the 1^st June Liverpool Women’s Gynaecology started to recommence some of it’s elective activity. This will be a phased approach with patient attendance/ appointment numbers restricted to ensure social distancing measures and other safety measures in relation to Covid-19 are adhered to within the hospital. The hospital will contact you in advance of your outpatient or inpatient appointments being scheduled as part of this phased re-opening of our elective services.

• Oncology: Our cancer clinics and surgery will continue to run and there are no plans at present to step down or suspend these services. Every measure is being taken to ensure that critical cancer care continues to be delivered in the safest and most efficient way to protect our patients and our staff during this difficult time.

- We will be conducting follow-up clinics via telephone or virtually wherever possible.

- Necessary face-to-face appointments will be structured into a one-stop model as far as possible, to minimise time spent on the hospital site.

- Cancer surgery lists may change at short notice due to the pressures arising from COVID-19. Our appointments team will be in contact should this affect you.

If you were due to attend for a cancer appointment, you will be contacted directly with further details of what this means for you.

If you are due to attend for an appointment or for surgery, our team will contact you the day before your appointment for COVID-19 screening. If you have symptoms, or are self-isolating as a member of your household has symptoms, then we will reschedule your appointment for when you are well again and able to attend hospital. This is to ensure your safety and wellbeing, as well as that of our staff and other patients.

• Termination of Pregnancy: The Bedford Centre is currently running a primarily telephone-based service. If a scan or a face-to-face appointment is required, this will be advised in your telephone consultation.
  
  If it is determined that you need to attend in person, then unless you are under 16 or need a carer unfortunately your support person will need to wait outside the hospital building. This is to minimise the number of people coming in and out of the building.
  
  The primary option offered for termination of pregnancy will be outpatient medical management. What this means for you will be discussed in your telephone consultation.

To make an appointment, please contact the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) on 03457 30 40 30.

A Information leaflet for patients undergoing early medical termination of pregnancy is available here to download. 

Leaflets

• Disposal of pregnancy remains at home following termination of Pregnancy Leaflet

• Disposal of Pregnancy Remains Following Miscarriage at Home Leaflet

• The Liverpool Centre for Genomic Medicine: The Liverpool Centre for Genomic Medicine is working hard to ensure that for all patients, that it is appropriate for, we offer a telephone or virtual clinic appointment during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, many of our patients will need to be seen in person and those patients will receive a letter to let them know that their appointment will be arranged once we are able to offer face to face appointments again.

For patients with rare diseases there is some excellent information leaflets available from the charity Unique: https://www.rarechromo.org/ and from the British Society of Genomic Medicine:

• An overview of Covid-19 and rare disease
• What makes a person more vulnerable to Covid-19?
• Understanding your risk from Covid-19 id you have a rare disease
• What should I do if I am an extremely vulnerable person?
• What to do if you have symptoms that could be due to Covid-19
• I am worried about letting my carer/my child's carers into my home - what should I do?

We know that recent events have been worrying and challenging for everyone. To keep our patients, visitors and staff safe, we will be doing things a little differently from now on. Please be assured that we are doing this to keep you safe and we will support you along the way. Here are the things you need to know before your next visit to Liverpool Women’s…

Social Distancing

We ask that you continue to respect people’s personal space by staying at least 2 metres apart from others. Please also follow our floor markings and signage to help with this.

Face coverings

Most patients, visitors and staff will now be required to wear face coverings in the hospital to keep everyone safe. This will be explained to you before you enter and you will be supported to put them on correctly.

Importance of cleanliness

We will be increasing our cleaning measures and we ask that you do the same by washing your hands often and using our hand sanitisers when entering and leaving different areas.

Operational changes

As we try to get our services back to normal we need to do this safely. This means that some services may have to run at a reduced capacity and this could affect waiting times.

Limited access

Access to the hospital will continue to be limited as much as possible so please be aware that you may be asked to explain your reason for visiting before you are allowed to enter.

Patient visiting

We know visiting is very important to patients, families and friends. However to keep everyone safe we currently have visiting restrictions in place. These are reviewed regularly and we will announce any changes on our website.

Here are some other measures we have in place to keep you safe...

People infected with COVID-19 can have very mild or no respiratory symptoms (asymptomatic) and can transmit the virus to others without being aware of it.

In line with recent recommendations from the World Health Organisation, we have introduced new measures at Liverpool Women’s to keep visitors, patients, and staff safe.

You are now required to wear a face covering when you come to hospital as a visitor or outpatient.

What does this mean for me?

We can all play a role in reducing the spread of coronavirus and keeping our hospitals safe. If you are coming to hospital as a visitor or for planned outpatient care, it is important that you wear a face covering at all times. This is for your safety and the safety of other patients and staff.

Face coverings can be cloth and/or homemade, and advice on how to wear and make one can be found on the government website. Face coverings worn as part of religious beliefs or cultural practice are also acceptable, providing they are not loose and cover the mouth and nose.

We are asking that you plan in advance and bring a face covering with you whenever possible, but if you do not have one available when you come to hospital, please see a member of staff on arrival and we will provide you with one.

If you are currently shielding and have been provided with a surgical face mask for your appointments, please continue to use this. If you have not been provided with a surgical face mask, you should wear a face covering.

For some people, wearing a face covering may be difficult due to physical or mental health conditions. In these instances, other measures will be considered on a case by case basis, for example timed appointments and being seen immediately on arrival. 

If you are a deaf or hearing impaired, our staff have a range of communication options to ensure that they can communicate effectively with you. This might include the use of clear masks where possible, as well as visual aids such as writing things down, speech to text apps and sign language.

All visitors will be expected to comply with existing social distancing and hand hygiene measures in addition to the face coverings while in the hospital setting.

What do I need to do?

• All patients and visitors should be wearing a face covering when entering the hospital.
• The requirement to wear face coverings is being introduced to protect patients, visitors and staff across the hospital site.
• Examples of locations where you should be wearing face coverings include reception and waiting areas, corridors, toilets, when queueing in the hospital cafes, and in the hospital shop.
• Patients will be advised by staff in individual clinical areas about whether or not they will need to wear a mask during clinical procedures or other appointments. Please keep your mask on unless advised otherwise by a member of staff.
• Face coverings should either be disposable after use or washed within 24 hours if they are re-usable.
• There will be a disposal station located near the main entrance of the Trust for safe disposal of masks when you are leaving the hospital.
• You will now find clear floor and wall signage across the hospital for wayfinding and directions. Please keep to the left when walking along hospital corridors and maintain social distancing (2 metre distance) at all times from other patients, visitors and staff.
• There will be an increased supply of hand sanitisers for use before and after removal of masks and face coverings. Please also make use of hand sanitisers across the hospital site when entering and leaving all areas.
• Staff will be on-hand to provide advice and support at main entrance areas.

Face coverings can consist of anything that completely covers your nose and mouth and allows you to breath comfortably – this can be as simple as a scarf or bandana that ties behind your head. You can find some helpful advice on how to wear and make face coverings here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering#wearing-a-face-covering

Before entering the hospital building, if you are not wearing your face covering, you will be required to do so before being allowed to enter.

If you do not have your own face covering, a mask will be supplied to you by the Trust.

How to safely wear a face mask: Tips for visually impaired people:

Update 14/09/2020: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the safety of women, babies and families has been our main priority. Where it has been safe to do so we have gradually lifted some of the visiting restrictions that have been in place over recent months. It is our intention to ease our restrictions further in line with the latest guidance and we have been planning for this over recent weeks. However, following the current rise in COVID-19 cases in the Liverpool and North West area this has resulted in us delaying some of these plans. We understand that this is a difficult time for women and their families and we would like to give assurance that as soon as we feel that it is safe to lift our restrictions further we will do so.

To keep everyone safe, we have some visiting restrictions in place until further notice. We appreciate that the following measures are strict and will impact on families at an already difficult time. However, the safety and wellbeing of our women, babies, visitors and staff is of paramount importance. We ask everyone to respect these measures and work with us to keep people safe. Staff across all areas will do everything they can to support women and families to stay connected. We appreciate your co-operation, understanding and support at this time.

Further changes to our visiting policy may be introduced at short notice. Please check this web page regularly for any further changes.

Covid-19 is still circulating across the region and whilst we understand that many non-healthcare settings are lifting restrictions more rapidly, it is important that our decisions protect the women, babies and families who we care for.

Unfortunately at the moment we cannot specify exact timescales for announcing further restrictions being lifted but we will do it as soon as possible and we will keep you updated with any changes.

If you have any queries about how the current restrictions impact you personally, we advise that you speak to the clinical team at Liverpool Women’s who are caring for you. We also have general advice and information on our Covid-19 Information Hub which is updated whenever there are any changes to our advice or restrictions.

Our priority is to keep everyone safe. As soon as we have information on any further changes we will make an announcement on our social media pages, on our website, and a member of staff at Liverpool Women’s will be in touch with women directly where appropriate.

We thank you again for your patience, support and for helping us to keep everyone safe.

Maternity Visiting Policy

For full details on current restrictions and measures in place within our Maternity services please select the 'Maternity Services' tab on the menu below. 

• ONE support partner is now permitted to accompany women into our Induction of labour suite, ensuring if you wish your partner to remain with you during this time, they will be permitted to attend and stay with you, during your care. When attending the hospital for labour and birth, your support partner will be invited to accompany you to the hospital and remain with you throughout your birth until your transfer to the postnatal wards.
  
  
• Appointments at our Fetal Medicine Unit (FMU), will now allow for ONE support partner to attend their FMU scan appointment. No children are allowed.
  
  
• There are NO changes to restrictions for women attending for an elective caesarean section. Women will attend the hospital and will be admitted to the elective caesarean section admissions lounge. A woman’s  chosen birth partner will not be able to attend the admissions lounge but will be contacted prior to transfer to theatre to enable them to enter the hospital and accompany their partner to theatre for the birth. The birth partner will be able to remain with the woman until transfer to the postnatal ward. We understand this may be disappointing for women undergoing an elective caesarean section. However the reason for these restrictions remaining in place is due to the additional measures that need to be taken for women undergoing a caesarean section and the clinical environment prior to transfer to theatre, compared to a natural birth where women and birth partners can remain in individual rooms where social distancing can be better observed for longer periods of time.  
  
  
• There are presently NO proposed changes to our Maternity ward restrictions, there is currently no postnatal ward visiting due to COVID 19 restrictions. 
  
  
• There are NO proposed changes to restrictions on Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU). If you require attendance at our MAU, you will be required to attend independently, further support and advice regarding your MAU admission can be discussed with the Midwifery team.
  
  
• Birth partners are not permitted to accompany women to any clinic appointments both in the hospital and in the community. This also includes attendances for Maternity Assessment Unit - the only exception to this is that from Monday 14^th September 2020, pregnant women are permitted to attend their 12 week scan (NT or dating scan) and 20 week (anomaly) scan with ONE other person.

Neonatal Visiting Policy

The Neonatal Unit will now allow TWO parents/significant others to visit at a time. We ask that those parents visiting from home limit visits to the hospital to once a day unless in exceptional circumstances.

If a baby being cared for on the Neonatal Unit is being tested for – or has tested positive for – Covid-19, some visiting restriction measures will be introduced. This will be discussed with families individually. 

Restrictions remain in place for siblings and other family members visiting the unit and this is unlikely to change for the foreseeable future. We do realise this may be upsetting for some but it is paramount that we keep our babies, families and staff  well and protected from Covid-19.

To ensure that we continue to maintain the highest standards of infection control we need to ensure that you as parents fully understand the precautions you must take to help us maintain these standards so we can keep visiting open for parents. Parents will be asked to read and sign a declaration form to reflect this when entering the unit for the first time.

Gynaecology Visiting Policy
The current restrictions for Gynaecology services will remain in place for now. These are determined by regional guidance and whilst we hope to be able to lift some restrictions soon, this is outside of the Trust’s control at present.

All visiting has been suspended for Gynaecology patients on the Gynaecology Unit and for clinic appointments, including our Bedford Clinic. The only exception to this will be for any patients receiving palliative care or at end of life and in these circumstances a member of staff will discuss visiting options with family members.

No child policy
Children are not permitted to attend the hospital site for any visiting or to accompany anyone to appointments.

Children are only permitted to access the hospital site if they are a patient with an appointment.

Please do not attend the hospital unless you are the patient, birth partner or parents of a baby on the Neonatal Unit

Please do not attend the hospital unless you are the patient, the birth partner or the parent of a baby in the neonatal unit.

This means that children and friends/family members will not be allowed to stay in areas such as main reception during visiting times. The only person permitted entry to the hospital during visiting is the individual visiting a patient. Members of staff across the Trust have been made aware of this policy and anyone attempting to access the hospital who is not visiting a patient will be asked to leave or will be refused entry entirely.

Any families or patients who wish to receive support from a member of our Chaplaincy Team will be able to access this but please make arrangements with a member of staff on the ward/unit so this can be arranged in the safest way. 

Social Workers/Carers/Advocates/Community Staff

Any patient requiring visitation from external NHS staff or partner agencies will need to be contacted directly. If face to face visitation is unavoidable please contact the Trust Safeguarding Team on 0151 702 4181 (during office hours), out of hours please contact Switchboard 0151 708 9988 and ask to be put through to the bleep holder for the division you require (Maternity / Neonatal etc).

Any professional meetings required (discharge meetings, strategy meetings etc) need to be co-ordinated through the Trust Safeguarding Team in a timely manner as possible.

When you arrive

When you arrive at Liverpool Women’s Hospital you will notice a few changes are in place to protect you and our staff.

 Please ensure that when you arrive:

• You enter through main reception, here you will be greeted by a Healthcare Support Worker (HCSW) between the hours of 8am and 4pm, 7 days a week.
• You follow the two metre distance rule.
• You confirm to the HCSW the purpose of your visit and answer the following questions before being directed to your appointment:
• Have you been diagnosed with Coronavirus Covid-19 in the past 14 days?
• Do you have any of the following symptoms:
  • A new continuous cough?
  • A high temperature?
  • Recently lost your sense of smell and/or taste?
• Have any members of your household had any of the above symptoms in the last 14 days?

A member of staff will be checking your temperature as you enter the hospital – this will be taken from a social distance and does not involve any physical contact.

Please follow the appropriate advise given to you depending on your answers to the above questions.

When you are leaving

• Discharge from Hospital Stay Patient Advice Leaflet
• Discharge from A&E or GP Consultation Patient Advice Leaflet

Stay alert

We can all help control the virus if we all stay alert. This means you must:

• stay at home as much as possible
• work from home if you can
• limit contact with other people
• keep your distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible)
• wash your hands regularly

Do not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms.

Click here to read more about what you can and cannot do.

Click here to read more about safe social distancing.

Click here to read more about how to stay safe outside your home.

Do not leave home if you or someone you live with has either:

• a high temperature
• a new, continuous cough​
• loss or change in sense of smell or taste

For the latest guidance, visit the Government or NHS websites.

CARING FOR PEOPLE AT HIGHEST CLINICAL RISK FROM COVID-19

Sources of information for people who are shielding

Updated 30 May 2020

First Published: 2 April 2020

Guidance for people at highest clinical risk

NHS England will no longer be hosting Frequently Asked Questions for people at highest clinical risk from Covid-19.

This is to help ensure that people are always clear where to go for the latest information, as the Government updates its policies. For the latest guidance please visit the following sources:

GOV.UK – for the latest updates on shielding guidance from Public Health England, as well as information on the Government support offer for those on the Shielded Patients List (SPL).

NHS.UK – provides patient-facing information on health services and medical conditions.

NHS Digital – for detailed information about the Shielded Patient List and the method that has been used for identifying people who may be clinically extremely vulnerable to Coronavirus.

NHS Volunteer Responders - the NHS is also providing further support to those at highest clinical risk via the GoodSam App and NHS Volunteer Responders.

People who are shielding can request support from the NHS Volunteer Responders by calling 0808 196 3646 between 8am and 8pm. This service will not replace any local voluntary referral schemes already established but will complement these.

01 June 20

We would like to provide you with as much information as possible about our current situation regarding our maternity services.

Maternity Services

Multiple Pregnancy

The Multiple Pregnancy Team parents information evening will be cancelled for the foreseeable future.

Breastfeeding Workshop 

Due to social distancing our breastfeeding workshop is now available in video form. You can view the video here:

Ask Alice videos

Use of mobile devices during ultrasound examinations: 

 Initial arrangements around induction of labour:

It is important to still attend your routine appointments unless stated otherwise:

What happens if there are complications following birth:

Visiting restrictions:

Latest advice 

As you will appreciate, updates and advice relating to COVID-19 are likely to change at regular intervals. This page will be updated as required to signpost to the latest information. The following is a summary of the latest advice from Public Health England. 

• For Public Health England's guidance on social distancing which is available in different languages click here

For the most accurate and reliable advice please refer to the following information resources listed below. Liverpool City Council, local NHS organisations, and Public Health England are also providing the latest local updates and advice through dedicated social media pages on Twitter and Facebook. Click on the links above or search @COVIDLiverpool on both platforms to follow regular updates.

• Advice for women during pregnancy: https://www.rcog.org.uk/coronavirus-pregnancy
• NHS 111: https://111.nhs.uk/service/covid-19
  
  
• World Health Organisation: who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
  
  
• Public Health England: gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public
  
  
• NHS website: nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19
  
  
• Healthwatch Liverpool: https://healthwatchliverpool.co.uk/covid-19-information-resources

• NHS England Maternity Leaflets:

  Coronavirus: Planning your birth 

  Coronavirus: Parent information for newborn babies

  The following maternity leaflets are also available in ten languages

1. Coronavirus: Planning your birth
2. Coronavirus: Parent information for new born babies
3. Coronavirus: Looking after yourself and your baby in pregnancy

• Available to download here

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/maternity-leaflets-translated-versions/

BSL

Sign Health have created a web page with the daily COVID-19 updates from the Government in BSL. Click here to view.

BSL Health Access enables the provision of immediate, on demand access to British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters for communication with Deaf people in health settings free of charge during the current Coronavirus situation. You can access it by clicking here.

Covid-19 information videos in 11 languages

Click here for information videos in 11 different languages on essential advice, hand washing and spotting the signs of Covid-19.

Other support

ADDvanced Solutions Community Network have a new, online offer to support children, young people, families and professionals in the Liverpool area. Click here to find out more.

Keeping you save in our Hospital

Please download our leaflet on 'Keeping you safe in our hospital' for further details. 

Birth Registrations 

We know that now is a very difficult time for the women, patients and families who are accessing our services and we understand that you will have many concerns relating to coronavirus (Covid-19). To support you to overcome some of the challenges that have impacted on Liverpool Women’s services, such as the restricted visiting currently in place, we have launched a dedicated Family Liaison Service to hopefully help make things a little easier for you.

Our Family Liaison Service is here to address any concerns women and patients have before coming into hospital, as well as helping families and friends to keep in touch when you are separated. 

The Family Liaison Service consists of members of our Patient Experience Team, who will also have access to a number of clinicians who are on hand to provide any general advice, support and reassurance. 

As well as offering general reassurance and advice before you come to hospital, you can also speak to the team to let them know of any assistance you require, or issues you have that may be made more difficult without having a friend or family member to support you while you are with us.

When you are receiving care at the hospital, you can contact the team if you have any questions or queries. You can also contact the team if there is any assistance you need during your stay and we will endeavour to help you to get the support needed. Your friends or family can also contact the team to pass on any messages if you encounter any difficulty keeping in touch directly.

Put simply, the Family Liaison Service is here to try to help with anything that will make your experience at Liverpool Women’s as comfortable as possible at this difficult time and if we can help you we will do our upmost to do it.

You can contact the team any time online if you have any worries or questions and the team will be available to respond between 09:00 – 17:00, Monday to Friday. There will also be members of the team available intermittently on Saturday and Sunday. 

You can contact us in the following ways:

Phone 0151 702 4353 (if you have to leave a message then the team will get back to you as soon as they can)

Email pals@lwh.nhs.uk

You can also contact us via the Trust’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, your messages will be passed on and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.