Southend midwives celebrate cash boost to expand service
Monday, January 28, 2013
Health Care
Midwives at Southend University Hospital are celebrating a £88.5k award which will give greater choice to pregnant women
The cash handout, which comes from the Department of Health's
£25m fund to improve birthing environments, follows Southend's
successful bid for a share at the end of last year.
The money is being used to create a maternity triage service on
the hospital's central delivery suite to ensure the right care is
given in the right place at the right time.
Sharon Murrell, acting head of midwifery and gynaecology, said:
"In essence, women in the early stages of labour will be seen by a
highly-experienced midwife who will take a detailed obstetric,
medical and family history and then discuss the most appropriate
place for the woman to give birth. This might be at home, in the
midwifery-led unit or in our obstetric unit.
"Birth is a natural physiological process and we believe that
this new triage service will encourage more women to opt for a
natural birth, where appropriate.
"We see a lot of women who are anxious and unsure if they had
started labour. The new development will mean each of them will be
given a thorough and professional assessment to ensure they receive
the most appropriate care in the best environment for them."
The award will also enable the maternity unit to improve its
service for women experiencing early pregnancy problems by creating
special areas for scans, examinations and counselling to
consolidate care on the gynaecology ward.
Mrs Murrell added: "Safety is at the heart of everything we do
and this additional money really will give a boost to our maternity
services."