Women's services includes maternity and gynaecology services.
Maternity Services
The Princess Royal Hospital (PRH), Telford will become the main base for inpatient consultant-led maternity services. We expect this change to take place from summer 2014.
The main reason for this change is that the existing maternity building at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) is in a poor state and cannot be the base for maternity and children's services in the long term. We have looked at a number of options and decided that transferring consultant-led maternity services to Telford is the only way we can secure safe and sustainable maternity services for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and mid Wales.
From summer 2014, women who need a consultant-led delivery will give birth at PRH. This includes women who are expecting twins, women with diabetes, women who have previously had caesareans, women whose babies are in a breech position and women whose babies are premature.
Most women will still be able to choose to have their baby at home, at one of the community midwife-led units at Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Oswestry, at the midwife led unit at PRH and RSH or at one of the midwife-led units provided by Powys Health Board. The only slight change will be that the midwife-led unit at RSH will be relocated elsewhere on the hospital site.
All antenatal appointments and scans will continue to take place as they do now.
If a woman develops complications during labour at one of our midwife-led units, they will be quickly and safely transported to PRH, just as women are currently transported to RSH.
Gynaecology Services
The inpatient gynaecology service (where you have to stay in hospital overnight) will be based at the Princess Royal Hospital. We expect this change to take place from summer 2014.
The main reason for this change is because inpatient gynaecology has to move out of the maternity and children's building at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital because it is in a poor state and cannot continue to be used for clinical care.
Gynaecology outpatients and day cases will continue to take place at both our hospitals.
Latest plans and designs
Visit our Design page to find out more about the latest plans and designs.
We need your help
We have been out and about talking to new mums about the changes to our maternity services and listening to their concerns and ideas for the future. Please let us know if you run a mother and baby group and would like us to come and talk to you.
We are also inviting people to take part in focus groups to dicuss the changes to women's services including gynaecology services in more detail and share your concerns and ideas for the future.
The next Women's Focus Group will be held jointly with the Children's Focus Group to discuss the interior design/ look and feel for the new unit on 11 May 2012 at the Shropshire Education and Conference Centre, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital as the original date of 25 April 2012 was not possible. If you would like to find out more information about this focus group or take part please email the project team via future@sath.nhs.uk
If you would like to find out more information about this focus group or take part please email the project team via future@sath.nhs.uk
Read our special issue of Looking to the Future which focuses on the changes to women services here.
Alternatively, come along to our next Patient and Public Briefing where you can find out the latest information about the changes and put your questions to our Chief Executive Adam Cairns. You can find the dates for our next briefings here.
More FAQs on women's services can be found here.