Wye Valley NHS Trust

When you have diabetes, you’re more at risk of heart and circulatory disease. And poor circulation makes other diabetes complications worse-like problems with your eyes and feet. That’s why it’s even more important to take good care of your heart when you have diabetes. If you have high blood sugar levels for a period of time, even slightly high, your arteries can start to get damaged, and make them more likely to develop fatty deposits (atheroma). If atheroma builds up in your coronary arteries, this can lead to a heart attack. To help protect yourself, get your HbA1c, blood pressure…

Being physically inactive is when you don’t move your body for long periods of time. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and being overweight all increase the risk of heart and circulatory problems. Being physically active regularly helps reduce these conditions. Being active is anything that raises your heart rate, this can be activities like hanging the washing out, walking outdoors or sports. You should be able to hold a conversation while you are active. Regular activity doesn’t just protect your heart, it can help improve your general health and wellbeing. The amount of physical activity you can…

If you’ve ever dreamt of a place which brings together the convenience of living in a big city with the lifestyle associated with a home in a rural idyll, Herefordshire is the place for you. Herefordshire lies in the south west of the West Midlands, bordering Wales. It is a rural county with a population of around 178,400. Numbers are expected to grow to 193,600 by 2026. Just under half of the population live in villages and rural areas, just under a third (30 per cent) of the people live in Hereford City, and the rest (22 per cent) live…

Once baby is born, the midwife (or you!) will bring baby up to your abdomen or chest depending on the length of baby’s cord. Baby will be gently dried whilst on you and a warm layer will be placed over the top of you and your baby. We aim to keep baby skin to skin with you for at least an hour or as long as you like. Skin to skin has many benefits to you and baby: Calming for both baby and mother Helps to regulate baby’s temperature Enhances the bonding process Helps to regulate baby’s breathing and heart…

Reasons you may be offered an induction of labour  The following circumstances in pregnancy may result in an induction of labour being offered to you: Post-dates pregnancy Advanced maternal age (40 years of age or more) Suspected big baby Suspected small baby Diabetes Pre-eclampsia Reduced fetal movements IVF If your waters break before tightenings start Obstetric Cholestasis Skip to the factsheet that is relevant to you, so you can start to make a fully informed decision on whether you would like an induction of labour.  Post-dates pregnancy A term pregnancy is classed as anything between 37 and 42 weeks. The…

Gestational diabetes If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, it is because it has been found that you have a higher than normal level of glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream. It is called gestational diabetes because it has been found whilst you are pregnant.  In a small amount of cases, it may be that a woman has undiagnosed diabetes, not caused by pregnancy.  The only way to know this is after your baby is born.  If your blood glucose remains high or uncontrolled postnatally then it is likely you have type 2 diabetes, your GP will check this at…

At your booking appointment your midwife will go through all the screening that you will be offered during pregnancy and for your baby once they are born. The first screening will involve a blood test at your initial appointment, which will be looking for infectious diseases, your rhesus factor, your haemoglobin level, your blood type and if you have any antibodies.  Also at this appointment your midwife will make a referral for you to have a dating scan, which will give you an estimated date of birth for baby.  At this scan they will ask if you would like to…

Jaundice is a common condition which affects many newborn babies. It is usually mild and causes a yellow tone to the skin and sometimes to the sclera (whites of the eyes). It usually resolves after a few days and isn’t too much of a concern. However, occasionally babies will need treatment for jaundice. This is most likely to be in the form of phototherapy, but if it is severe then an exchange transfusion may be advised, this is rarer. Jaundice occurs because when babies are in the womb, they have many more red blood cells than average to allow for…

Safer staffing levels in our hospitals We know that having the right staff with the right skills in the right place at the right time is essential to the delivery of safe, high quality patient care. That is why, following national guidance, we publish the planned and actual number of nursing and midwifery staff working on each ward, together with the percentage of shifts meeting safe staffing guidelines.  Safe staffing isn’t just about the number of staff on the ward. It is also about the different skills and qualifications staff have. The type of illness or conditions on particular wards also needs…

Melissa Mayo - Operational Support Officer – Referral Management Centre Typical day for myself would be supporting the day to day running of the RMC and our staff. We have approx. 35 staff within our department with a mixture of clinic clerks and coordinators for a vast range of services within WVT. My main role is to ensure the smooth running of the RMC each day – From workloads, short notice support, processes and also validation into our services PTL’s (2ww, urgent and routine). Having joined the trust in 2016 as a clinic clerk in the RMC, I was always inspired…