Hospital restrictions ban dads from visiting newborn babies at western Sydney hospitals

There are concerns new dads are being denied special moments with their newborn babies after controversial restrictions were introduced at Sydney hospitals.

Dads have been banned from visiting newborn babies at hospitals across western Sydney due to concerns over the growing Covid outbreak.

Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD), which incorporates Westmead, Parramatta and Blacktown hospitals, has introduced restrictions which ban fathers and partners from postnatal wards, the ABC reports.

The health district issued the controversial directive a week after Greater Sydney was plunged into lockdown, with all visitors, including fathers visiting their newborns, banned from entering wards.

However, the district has been accused of “going rogue”, with NSW Health allowing women to have their partner or a support person in the birth unit and postnatal wards.

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Hospitals in western Sydney have introduced controversial restrictions for new dads and support persons.

While exemptions can be made in special circumstances, such as birth, the NSW Mental Health Minister urged the health district to show compassion.

Speaking to Ben Fordham on his 2GB breakfast show, Minister Bronnie Taylor said more needed to be done to accommodate new fathers.

“It’s really important to have that support person there with you when you’re having your baby. It’s one of the most important times in your life,” she said on Friday morning.

“Local health districts are in charge of making their own decisions … I would implore them, as the Minister for Health did, to really look at this and to make sure that people have that support person, because this is a significant moment and we know how to keep things safe, we know how to make sure that we can put those policies and procedures in place.

“So many things of our normal have become abnormal, but we need to make sure we are compassionate, that we are caring and that we are kind, and this is one of those things where we have to ensure that that happens if we are able to do that safely.

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Westmead Hospital is among several western Sydney hospitals to introduce the restrictions. Picture: Angelo Velardo

“I believe in most cases we can find a way through that and make that happen.”

Fordham hit out at the restrictions.

“This is a directive from the WSLHD, who seem to have gone rogue, because according to NSW Health, women are allowed to have their partner or a support person with them in the birth unit and in postnatal wards.

“Surely we shouldn’t have any dads or boyfriends or partners turned away.

“They say exemptions can be made for the birth, but it shouldn’t be exemptions, fathers should be allowed to be at the birth no matter what and they shouldn’t be kicked out afterwards when the mother needs their support.”

Kristyn Begnell, a consumer representative at the WSLHD, told the ABC there were cases where staff were unable to communicate to women in labour why their partner was not allowed in.

“Each hospital was saying something different,” Ms Begnell said.

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Blacktown Hospital has also introduced tough new restrictions for visitors due to the Covid outbreak. Picture: Justin Lloyd

“The language barrier wasn’t properly navigated at Blacktown. This is a multicultural community but it took four days to translate the no-visitor message.

“There were women showing up in labour and staff were unable to communicate why their partners couldn’t come in.

“It was a mess.”

There were concerns expectant mothers were considering home births instead to avoid the tough visiting restrictions.

When asked whether overarching exemptions could be made for new dads and support people to be allowed to visit throughout the hospital stay, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard told reporters on Thursday it was a “difficult” call.

“From a human point of view, I would like to see mums who are about to give birth, and post-birth, have their support person there with them as long as possible,” he said.

“I have discussed that with the senior health officials and the instructions they’ve given out are reflective of that … but on-the-ground the local circumstances might be that the health authorities just have to make some of those really challenging decisions.”

The WSLHD has been approached for comment.

Originally published as Hospital restrictions ban dads from visiting newborn babies at western Sydney hospitals