Donnelly: 14 of 19 maternity units allowing partners attend antenatal appointments

The Health Minister said local reasons meant five hospitals could not allow partners onto maternity wards.

Earlier this week the health minister had expressed his frustration at the refusal of some maternity hospitals to allow partners to attend during scans and birth. File Picture: iStock

Health Minister Stephen Donnely has said that 14 of the 19 maternity units in the country are complying with the instruction that partners should be allowed to attend antenatal appointments. 

Speaking of the difference in responses by maternity units to partners attending appointments, Mr Donnelly told Newstalk this morning that there were five units - at South Tipperary General Hospital, University Hospital Waterford, Wexford General Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny and Letterkenny University Hospital - where local reasons meant allowing partners onto the wards could not be allowed. 

Earlier this week the health minister had expressed his frustration at the refusal of some maternity hospitals to allow partners to attend during scans and birth.

Speaking in Tallaght on Wednesday, Mr Donnelly said he has instructed the HSE to make contact with the hospitals to tell them there is no reason to prevent partners from attending.

He said he wants answers by the end of the day from any hospitals that feel they cannot accommodate partners safely.

"At this point, I am getting quite frustrated with the lack of progress," he told the Irish Examiner.

"I know that the HSE is as well, so Paul Reid and I spoke this morning.

"All 19 maternity units are being contacted right now, and they are being told very clearly what the guidance is from the chief clinical officer, which is that at a minimum, there is access for the 20-week scan, for births, and for neonatal."

Any maternity units that do not believe that is appropriate or safe at the moment must provide a case back.

Rapid antigen testing

Asked about the slow rollout of rapid antigen testing, Mr Donnelly said it is important not to overstate their value.

Speaking amid clear opposition and concern about their use from chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan, Mr Donnelly said: "I am a supporter of rapid testing. It's why I set up the expert group and launched the report with Professor [Mark] Ferguson."

It is not a silver bullet, it is one tool that we can use.

Mr Donnelly said Dr Holohan had expressed a legitimate concern around people misunderstanding what rapid testing is for and said the Government is planning to use them where appropriate.

He advised people who get a negative antigen test to "ignore them".

"My advice would be if you get a negative result, just ignore it. It's when you get positive results, you should then go and get a PCR test.

"Nphet has a genuine concern that people would say 'we're all going to get together. We're all going to take rapid tests and we behave in ways that we never would without taking those tests', and that that potentially leads to super-spreader events," Mr Donnelly said.