Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician and Centre Chief for the Women and Children's Centre talks about the changes to Women's Services at the Trust.
Why do we have to change our maternity services?
Women and children’s services in Shropshire currently face real problems that require a sustainable solution.
The first driver for this change is that our children's doctors believe that the best way to achieve high quality services for children is to have one single inpatient paediatric unit for the
county. This concept is supported by outside agencies.
Women’s and Children’s inpatient services physically sit together as new born babies sometimes require the support of neonatologists and paediatricians.
The second driver is that our current building at RSH is a real live problem. We cannot continue to provide maternity services from the existing maternity building as it is in a poor state of repair, has significant internal functional and structural problems and is not designed for the delivery of 21st century care.
If a woman develops complications during labour, how will you make sure that there is enough time to safely transport her and her baby to PRH?
This is a real and natural worry and it exists now with home births and within our midwifery-led units. Delivering a safe maternity service with our geography and distant maternity units
is a high priority. We do this now and will do it in the future by:
- Assessing and talking to women to help decide whether they are wise to give birth at home or in one of our midwifery led units so the likelihood of significant problems is low
- Training our midwives in the midwife-led units and conducting home confinements to identify problems so we can ensure the safe and early transfer to the consultant-led unit
- Training our midwives in dealing with unpredicted emergencies, either with mum or the newly born baby
- Having an effective and rapid transfer policy in place in partnership with the ambulance services.
As a result of these measures, risks are reduced to the minimum. However, risk can never be removed completely whatever the care setting. Our maternity services in Shropshire
have been developed over many years to support our geography and the desires of mums and families to stay close to home if possible, but to access higher levels of care when
necessary.
Will I be able to choose to give birth at the new women and children’s unit?
Yes, any woman can choose to give birth at the new women and children’s unit. There will be slightly more delivery rooms and the specifications for these will not be those of the 1960s,
which is when our current facilities were built!
What will the facilities be like in the new unit?
There will be 11 new delivery suites, the majority of which will have en-suite facilities. We will also have separate ante-natal and post-natal wards, a separate adjacent neonatology unit,dedicated maternity theatres, gynaecology assessment services and inpatient services.
There will also be a children’s assessment unit (PAU), children’s cancer unit, children’s inpatient and children’s outpatient services. At the PRH site there will also be gynaecology outpatients, colposcopy, gynaecology and paediatric day surgery, gynaecology theatre,
antenatal services and the midwifery unit.
Will my partner be able to stay with me in the new unit?
There are different circumstances when a partner may wish to stay with you. This can be when you are in labour, if you are waiting for the successful induction of labour, if a baby or child is on the neonatal or paediatric unit or purely because of distance. We are working with both the architects and builders to offer a number of different solutions depending on your needs and circumstances.
Will I still be able to see my gynaecologist at RSH?
Yes. The vast majority of gynaecology appointments and day case procedures will continue to be provided where they are now. There will also be an Early Pregnancy Assessment Service (EPAS) and an ante-natal assessment service at RSH. You will only need to go to PRH if you are having a procedure that requires an overnight stay.
What will the new facilities be like for gynaecology patients?
The new unit will have dedicated gynaecology inpatient beds, an assessment area for patients who have become unwell with a gynaecological problem and an Early Pregnancy Assessment Service (EPAS) with ultrasound scanning facilities. Outpatient services, colposcopy, theatres, day surgery and ambulatory care will also be provided at PRH.