Herefordshire Speech and Language therapy service can offer support for the following types of feeding, eating and swallowing difficulties: Ongoing Difficulties with bottle/breastfeeding Difficulties weaning onto solid foods Restricted diet/ extreme responses to food Swallowing difficulties associated with a range of medical and developmental conditions We cannot offer support for eating difficulties which are purely behavioural in origin.  However, these can be difficult to distinguish from other types of feeding difficulty and so assessment may be appropriate to establish the nature of the eating difficulty and identify alternative sources of support if necessary. Making a referral  Parents/Carers Herefordshire Speech and…

Health chiefs in England are encouraging parents to be aware of the signs of respiratory illnesses in young children, as data from Public Health England (PHE) shows cases are starting to rise in parts of the country. Respiratory illnesses, including colds and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are very common in young children and we see them every year. Last winter, due to the various restrictions in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19, there were far fewer infections in younger people. This means many will not have developed immunity and so we may see more cases this year than in…

Women’s Health Department Patient information leaflet – Post-Menopausal Bleeding (PMB)   What is Post-menopausal bleeding? Any bleeding from the vagina after menopause. This can be light spotting, a change in discharge colour or heaver bleeding. What causes post-menopausal bleeding? There can be many different causes, including: The walls of the vagina become thinner. Small skin-tag growths (polyps) in the vagina, cervix or uterus. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) making the womb lining thicker.   Most of the time, the cause of post-menopausal bleeding is not serious, but sometimes it can be a sign of cancer of the cervix, vagina or endometrium…

In preparation for your caesarean section Before your elective caesarean section, a couple of pre-operative tests will need to be undertaken. These will include a swab looking for MRSA. MRSA is a bacteria often found on the skin and in the nose of healthy people but can cause infections after surgery. This will be done 4 to 6 weeks prior to your surgery usually at one of your hospital appointments. A blood test needs to be carried out to check that you are not anaemic. A sample will be kept in case you need a blood transfusion during or after…

Herefordshire: a great location for a great vocation! Thank you for visiting our Respiratory team’s “Work with us” page – we hope this will inspire you to find out more and come and work with us! We’ll introduce you to the team and briefly cover some of the main services and locations we work from in the beautiful county of Herefordshire.   Meet the Team Consultant team Dr Ingrid Du Rand (Clinical lead) Dr Du Rand has been with Wye Valley Trust since 2015 and was appointed as Clinical lead for the department this year.  Dr Du Rand has a…

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The third stage of labour is the time between when your baby has been born and the birth of the placenta. Your womb will continue to contract and will be reducing in size. As your womb becomes smaller the placenta will comes away from the side of the uterus and move down into your vagina. As this happens you will have some blood loss as the blood vessels that were connecting the placenta and the uterus will temporarily bleed. The blood loss reduces once the blood vessels constrict and close up the space where your placenta was attached. Physiological third…

Deep Vein Thrombosis This is when a blood clot forms in the deep vein of the calf, leg or pelvis. Women are more at risk of developing a blood clot during pregnancy and after having a baby and a caesarean section can further increase this risk.  Therefore it is essential to look out for possible symptoms. Symptoms can include: A red, hot swollen leg Your entire leg being swollen or a feeling of heaviness Tenderness or pain in your leg which may only be felt when standing or walking  A DVT can lead to a pulmonary embolism (PE), this is…

Colorectal Surgery at The County Hospital is provided by a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, gastroenterologists, radiologists, pathologists, oncologists and specialist nurses.  Outpatient assessment, investigation, treatment and follow-up are provided for all colorectal surgical conditions, including colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel conditions (crohns’ disease and ulcerative colitis), functional bowel disorders (constipation and incontinence) and anorectal conditions (fistula-in-ano, fissures, haemorrhoids etc.).  Minimally invasive (laparoscopic) colorectal surgery is well developed, and enhanced recovery is provided by a dedicated team of doctors, physiotherapists, dieticians, specialist and ward nurses and other staff.  Colorectal surgical patients are admitted to Frome ward and Primrose Unit (Elective). Day case…

Further reading  Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology: Induction of labour, information for patients https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/patients/patient-leaflets/induction-of-labour---information-for-people-who-use-nhs-services/  NICE, Induction of Labour guideline   National Childbirth Trust https://www.nct.org.uk/sites/default/files/related_documents/Newburn%20Induction%20of%20labour%20pp12-13.pdf  Why Induction Matters by Rachel Reed (Book - 2018)  MidwifeThinking.com - Rachel Reed   Inducing labour, making informed decisions by Dr Sara Wickham (Book - 2018)  In Your Own Time: How western medicine controls the start of labour and why this needs to stop by Dr Sara Wickham (Book - 2021)  Your human rights during your birth  Obstetric Cholestasis  Appendix  Risks associated with having a caesarean section include:  Higher than normal blood loss – haemorrhage Infection Injury…