Table 3.
Key characteristics of sources
| Title | Reference | Publication type (policy, report, press release, briefing, statement, professional guidance, peer reviewed article, commentary, decision-support tool/framework, blog) | Date of publication | Population (maternity, paediatrics or all clinical specialities) | Source scope (international, national, regional, trust and hospital) |
| Grey literature sources | |||||
| Principles for reintroducing health services – COVID-19 | 44 | Professional guidance | May 2020 | All | National |
| Covid-19. Effects on health from non-COVID-19 conditions and moving forward to deliver healthcare for all | 46 | Professional guidance | May 2020 | All | National |
| Preparing for COVID-19 surges and winter | 68 | Professional guidance | Jul 2020 | All | National |
| Reset, restore and recovery: staff support | 45 | Professional guidance | Jun 2020 | All | National |
| Health protection: public and professional responsibilities | 91 | Professional guidance | 11 July 2020 | All | National |
| Reset, restore and recovery: medical education and training | 47 | Professional guidance | June 2020 | All | National |
| Reset, restore and recovery: equality | 69 | Professional guidance | June 2020 | All | National |
| Second phase of NHS response to COVID-19 | 93 | Policy (letter) | 29 April 2020 | All | National |
| Operating framework for urgent and planned services within hospitals: all emergency patients to be tested on admission and elective patients to isolate for 14 days prior to admission | 92 | Policy | 14 May 2020 | All | National |
| Second phase of NHS response to COVID-19 for cancer services | 93 | Policy (letter) | 8 July 2020 | All | National |
| WRES briefing for board and COVID-19 emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR) membership in the NHS | 70 | Briefing | 24 June 2020 | All | National |
| COVID-19: guidance for the remobilisation of services within health and care settings, infection prevention and control recommendations | 94 | Public Health England Guidance | 20 August 2020 | All | National |
| Delivering a paediatric elective surgery service during the COVID-19 pandemic | 95 | Implementation of NICE guidance | 27 July 2020 | All | National |
| COVID-19: guidance for planning paediatric staffing and rotas | 48 | Professional guidance | 10 July 2020 | Paediatrics | National |
| COVID-19 and Us: views from RCPCH and Us | 53 | RCPCH engagement | 4 November 2020 | Paediatrics | National |
| Ethics framework for use in acute paediatric settings during COVID-19 pandemic | 71 | Professional guidance | 1 September 2020 | Paediatrics | National |
| National guidance for the recovery of elective surgery in children | 58 | Professional guidance | 9 November 2020 | Paediatrics | National |
| Reset, restore, recover – RCPCH principles for recovery | 96 | Professional guidance | 19 May 2020 | Paediatrics | National |
| It is right to restart services, but we must do so in a safe way | 49 | Blog | 7 June 2020 | All | National |
| Antenatal care for women without suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and living in a symptom free household | 52 | Professional guidance | 14 August 2020 | Maternity | National |
| RCM briefing on reintroduction of visitors to maternity units across the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic | 59 | Professional guidance | 15 July 2020 | Maternity | National |
| RCM clinical briefing sheet: guidance for midwifery services on ‘freebirth’ or ‘unassisted childbirth’ during the COVID-19 pandemic | 72 | Professional guidance | 30 April 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Guidance for the provision of midwife-led settings and home birth in the evolving COVID-19 pandemic | 97 | Professional guidance | 21 October 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Equality essentials: appropriate risk assessment during the current pandemic | 98 | Professional guidance | May 2020 | Maternity | National |
| COVID-19 impact on black, Asian and minority ethnic women | 65 | Professional guidance | 15 July 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Principles for the testing and triage of women seeking maternity care in hospital settings during the COVID-19 pandemic: a supplementary framework for maternity healthcare professionals | 99 | Professional guidance | 10 August 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Guidance for antenatal and postnatal services in the evolving COVID-19 pandemic | 51 | Professional guidance | 19 June 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Antenatal care for women with current suspected or confirmed COVID-19 or with a member of their household with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 | 100 | Professional guidance | 24 July 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Domestic abuse: identifying, caring for and supporting women at risk of/victims of domestic abuse during COVID-19 | 66 | Professional guidance | 13 November 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Bereavement care in maternity services during COVID-19 pandemic | 74 | Professional guidance | 14 July 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Postnatal care for women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 | 84 | Professional guidance | 14 August 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Virtual consultations | 50 | Professional guidance | 24 July 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Restarting planned surgery in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic | 56 | Professional guidance | 1 May 2020 | All | National |
| Delivering midwifery intrapartum care where local COVID-19 escalation protocols are required to be enacted | 101 | NICE guidance | 20 July 2020 | All | National |
| Supporting pregnant women using maternity services during the COVID-19 pandemic: actions for NHS providers | 60 | Briefing | 14 December 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Important—for action—operational priorities for winter and 2021/2022 | 57 | Policy (letter) | 23 December 2020 | All | National |
| National Clinical Prioritisation Programme (including evidence based interventions): frequently asked questions | 67 | Policy | 23 September 2020 | All | National |
| Digital by default or digital divide? Virtual healthcare consultations with young people 10–25 years | 55 | Report | September 2020 | Paediatrics | National |
| Restoring children’s health services, COVID-19 and winter planning – position statement | 62 | Statement | 9 October 2020 | Paediatrics | National |
| Anaesthesia and critical care: guidance for clinical directors on preparation for a possible second surge in COVID-19 | 2 | Professional guidance | 7 October 2020 | All | National |
| COVID-19 in pregnancy: information for healthcare professionals | 54 | Professional guidance | 14 October 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Joint Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and Royal College of Midwives (RCM) statement: planning for winter 2020/2021 – reducing the impact of COVID-19 on maternity services in the UK | 64 | Professional guidance | 8 October 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Midwives call for common sense on maternity visiting guidance | 61 | Statement | 15 December 2020 | Maternity | National |
| Academic sources | |||||
| Implications for the future of obstetrics and gynaecology following the COVID-19 pandemic: a commentary | 63 | Commentary | Maternity | National | |
| Sustaining quality midwifery care in a pandemic and beyond | 102 | Review article | 25 May 2020 | Maternity | National |
| How should surgeons obtain consent during the COVID-19 pandemic? | 103 | BMJ Views and Reviews | 30 June 2020 | All surgery | National |
| Professionally responsible advocacy for women and children first during the COVID-19 pandemic: guidance from World Association of Perinatal Medicine and International Academy of Perinatal Medicine | 76 | Peer-reviewed article | 26 November 2020 | Maternity | International |
| Respectful maternity care in the context of COVID-19: a human rights perspective | 104 | Peer-reviewed article | 26 November 2020 | Maternity | International |
NHS, National Health Service; NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.