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Publication - Advice and guidance

Hospital visiting: guidance for health boards

Last updated
23 August 2023 - see all updates
Directorate
Healthcare Quality and Improvement Directorate
Part of
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland, Health and social care

Enabling family support for people in hospital in Scotland.

This document is part of a collection

Maternity and neonatal

Key principles for visiting as set out earlier in this guidance are also applicable within maternity and neonatal settings. It is important to highlight that birth partners supporting women during hospital visits and parents/primary caregivers in neonatal care, provide essential support and should not be considered “visitors”. 

These key principles apply to other settings where a pregnant woman may attend for a pregnancy related matter such as the Accident and Emergency Department or within the community such as a GP practice, as well as maternity and neonatal settings.

The Best Start: A five Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care was published in 2017. It sets out a future vision for maternity and neonatal care which focuses on putting women, babies and families at the centre of maternity and neonatal care to ensure they receive the highest quality of care according to their needs. 

Contact

If you have feedback on this guidance please email: HQIBMT@gov.scot

First published
19 November 2020
Last updated
23 August 2023 - show all updates

  1. Updates throughout.

  2. Updated in line with latest guidance.

  3. Edits to Children. Added Maternity and neonatal.

  4. Updated Coronavirus (COVID-19): maternity and neonatal settings visiting guidance PDF.

  5. Maternity and neonatal settings visiting guidance PDF updated.

  6. Maternity and neonatal settings visiting guidance PDF updated.

  7. Spiritual care guidance updated.

  8. Updated to reflect current position.

  9. Added further information on spiritual care.

  10. Updated to reflect current position.

  11. Maternity and neonatal information updated.

  12. HTML version of guidance, checklist and risk assessment added, previous guidance removed to reflect current position.

  13. Updated guidance added - will apply from 26 April 2021.

  14. Published updated visiting guidance.

  15. Published updated maternity and neonatal settings visiting guidance

  16. Published updated maternity and neonatal settings visiting guidance.

  17. Updated to reflect new protection levels

  18. Added specific visiting guidance for maternity and neonatal units.

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