Membrane sweeps A membrane sweep or ‘stretch and sweep’ is when the midwife or doctor inserts two fingers into the vagina, through the cervix (if it is open enough) and uses a circular sweeping motion around the membranes in order to try and stimulate your body to release the hormone prostaglandin and create tightenings. NICE guidelines suggest that a sweep can be discussed and offered to women from 39 weeks. Although a membrane sweep isn’t a formal stage in the induction of labour process, it is still classed as a method of inducing labour and is often thought of as…

  Access to the unit - the unit has an intercom system to enter the unit.   Parents and visitors will be asked to confirm your identity by a member of staff, and visitors will be asked who they have come to see.   Please do not allow others to follow you through the door. Infection prevention - Parents and visitors will be asked to wash their hands and apply hand gel on entering the nursery. All outside clothing, such as coats, should be removed and there is a clothes rail to hang these on located in the sitting area, this is to…

Your pelvic floor is a combination of muscles in your pelvis which act as a hammock, supporting your bladder, bowel and uterus. Due to the extra pressure on your pelvic floor during pregnancy and birth your pelvic floor muscles will likely be weakened. You might experience less sensation when you need to empty your bladder which can lead to incontinence. Your pelvic floor muscles should steadily improve, but you can aid your recovery with pelvic floor exercises. If you are having trouble controlling your bladder after having your baby then you may need to see a physiotherapist, speak to your…

The midwifery led tongue tie clinic for babies at Hereford County Hospitla offers quick and painless tongue-tie divisions to make it easier for babies to feed. Dedicated midwives are specially trained to carry out the minor procedure on babies who are up to ten weeks old. The clinic brings treatment closer to home for parents and their babies.

We have introduced a new maternity electronic patient record system.  This means that we no longer use paper forms for recording information about your maternity care. It only applies to the maternity service, which is from your first point of contact with one of our midwives through to when you are discharged from the care of your midwife to a health visitor.  Our midwifery team now record this information on the new electronic system online on a computer or iPad.   This means that we can access information about your maternity care in one place, safely and securely at all…

A video with some tips on how you can prepare for labour and birth. We provide antenatal education through The Real Birth Digital Programme. Please see the information below to find out more. The Real Birth Digital Programme  Birth Preparation Workshop This Course is FREE for you to access. It is available in English, Welsh, Polish, Portuguese, Urdu, Tamil and Arabic. The course includes breathing and massage techniques. You can access your course through your Digital Notes or a QR Code provided by your Midwife, or you can scan the QR code below to access the course.   What is the Real…

Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) The Allied Health Professions (AHPs) are the third largest clinical workforce in health and social care in England. They provide high quality care to patients and clients across a wide range of care pathways and in a variety of settings that include, hospitals, community, the independent and charitable sectors and schools. They work in health promotion to prevent accident or illness, they are active in treatment and rehabilitation and they promote self-help and independence. At Wye Valley NHS Trust our AHPs provide the following ten services;                 Dietetics Occupational therapy…

Back to Cardiac Services The Heart Function team are experienced nurses who have undertaken extended training in managing heart function problems. They work closely with the consultant cardiologists and other health care teams.  We aim to help you and your family and/or carer to: Access education and ongoing support and monitoring Benefit from evidence-based medications, procedures & rehabilitation Improve your confidence Improve your quality of life Avoid hospital admissions Shorten any stays in hospital Who can benefit from a consultation with a Heart Function Nurse? You can benefit if you have been told by a doctor that you have Left Ventricular…

The County Hospital Vascular Service The County Hospital offers a combined Vascular Service with Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. The role of the Vascular Service is to assess and treat patients with arterial and venous disease and conditions. Types of patients seen Patients seen range from those with varicose veins to strokes, aneurysms, gangrene, and claudication. Vascular Surgeons and Clinics There are two vascular surgeons based at The County Hospital. Outpatient clinics are held on: Tuesday mornings Wednesday afternoons Alternate Monday afternoons The surgeons are supported at these clinics by the Clinical Vascular Scientist based in the Vascular Unit. Patients…

Systemic-Anti Cancer Pre-Treatment information and video for patients