Shrewsbury MLU re-opens following £500,000 refurbishment

24 October 2018

Shrewsbury Midwife Led Unit has fully re-opened following a £500,000 refurbishment, which was designed with the help of mothers, their families and staff.

Services at the MLU, which is based in the Copthorne Building at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, had to be relocated to another part of the building back in February after heavy winter snowfall caused damage to the roof.

As well as repairs to the roof, The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs the MLU, used the relocation as an opportunity to upgrade the unit to improve services and the environment for mothers.

The refurbishment has included the replacement of the roof, improvements to facilities such as natural lighting in its birthing rooms and the addition of a birthing couch in one of the rooms, to create a more ‘home-from-home’ setting for mothers to give birth in; as well as improved facilities for partners.

Families and staff also shared their ideas through the local Maternity Voices Partnership, and they have helped to select the colour schemes, name the birthing rooms (such as Dingle and Darwin) and choose the murals that will go on the walls.

As well as birthing rooms and postnatal beds, the MLU also provides antenatal clinics, scanning, and an Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit.

Sarah Jamieson, Head of Midwifery at SaTH, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the results of the refurbishment. We want to be able to give all the mums using our services the best possible experience, and we believe that the improvements that we have made will make a real difference.

“We would like to thank all our mums and staff who took the trouble to share their thoughts and ideas on the refurbishment thorough the Maternity Voices Partnership, and also our colleagues in the Local Maternity System who have helped us implement these much needed improvements. It was important to us to make sure that the people who use it, and who work there, played a big part in designing it.

“We are delighted to say that we have already had two births at the unit since it was re-opened. We are also hoping to have an official opening later this year for our mums and our staff – and it will also be an opportunity for mums-to-be to come and have a look around.”