Impact Of Covid-19 On NHS Antenatal Care

Several services offered by the NHS have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. One of the most concerning consequences of the pandemic has been the impact on NHS antenatal services, which may have resulted in many delayed diagnoses of conditions affecting both mothers and babies.

How has the pandemic impacted NHS antenatal care?

The Covid-19 restrictions have affected the standard of care that women have received during their pregnancies, with many routine midwife appointments taking place over telephone and video, rather than face-to-face or in extreme circumstances, even cancelled. As a result of this, there has likely been a decrease in hospital referrals from midwives for early intervention, although we are yet to realise the full impact of this.

According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), a minimum of six face-to-face antenatal consultations should still take place during the pandemic. The RCOG website states that:

The RCOG website goes on to state that:

When the Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives, Gill Walton, met with the Government’s health and social care committee in May 2020, she advised that she had concerns that high-risk pregnancies would not be diagnosed effectively, or missed completely during the pandemic. Further concerns were also raised that there may be women who may slip through the net, due to the lack of face-to-face consultations with their midwives and therefore, will not receive essential treatment.