Maternity campaigners are planning an online event tomorrow evening, as the controversial Rotunda TV show is being aired on RTE.
The Better Maternity Care campaign says it's hosting 'The Real Rotunda' via zoom, where people can share their real life experiences of attending maternity services during the pandemic.
The TV show received criticism last week when the first episode of the series aired, as it was filmed at a time when partners had to wait outside the hospital.
#BetterMaternityCare are going to host #TheRealRotunda tomorrow night as an alternative to #TheRotunda on RTÉ. Please join us to hear the real life experience of attending maternity services under partner restrictions and find out what we have planned for the coming weeks. pic.twitter.com/VgtALV6G9e
— Linda Kelly (@lindabtweeting) September 14, 2021
RTE says: "For filming this season we reduced our footfall in the hospital to the bare minimum with a lot of filming taking place off-site. The majority of filming in the hospital was recorded by remote cameras controlled from outside the building. Additional research and filming was produced by a single person or on occasion by a compact two person crew. Strict Covid-19 infection prevention and control protocols were followed at all times by the production."
A spokesperson for the Rotunda Hospital says: "Filming took place from November 2020 to September 2021, with minimal numbers of crew on site at all times. Filming in the delivery suites mainly took place through pre-installed fixed cameras that were operated remotely. For a limited amount of filming, one crew member, or on occasion a compact two-person crew, was present onsite. Family and staff interviews were filmed off site in a production studio. During the course of filming strict infection prevention and control protocols were adhered to at all times."
