North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust offering birthing partners free Covid test
Partners accompanying mums-to-be as they deliver their baby are now being offered Covid-19 tests by the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust.
The Trust is asking every birth partner to take a self-administered lateral flow test on their arrival to the delivery suite.
The test, which will also be offered to partners attending elective caesarean sections, returns results within 30 minutes.
The test is voluntary, but it is hoped all birth partners will recognise the importance of reducing the chances of a Covid-19 outbreak within the maternity team.
The Trust says all Covid-19 infection control policies are under constant review.