The overarching aim of this guidance is to ensure maternity care providers can deliver respectful and individualised care services that promote the safety of women, babies, families and health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The document provides practical guidance on postnatal contacts undertaken remotely (phone/messaging application/telehealth).

This guidance provides direction for services to continue to provide essential and respectful post-natal care during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is intended to support services in adjusting to a different way of delivering postnatal care but it does not replace usual policies and protocols regarding postnatal care provision.

Services should revert to the WHO recommendations on postnatal care of the mother and newborn guidance once the pandemic status is lifted