Herefordshire Tuberculosis Service

When you have your pregnancy booking appointment your midwife will ask to take some blood samples, one of these will be to find out your blood group.  It will determine whether you are a positive or negative blood group.  If it is found that you have a negative blood group you will be offered Anti-D at different points in your pregnancy.  Anti D is derived from plasma collected from donors, it is a concentrated form of antibodies. A new test is now offered to all women who are Rhesus Negative at 16 weeks gestation.  The blood test will determine whether…

An instrumental birth refers to the use of either forceps or ventouse (suction cup). An instrumental birth happens for 1 in every 8 births.   Forceps are metal instruments which fit together around your baby’s head to speed up the process of baby being born during the pushing phase.  The doctor will pull the forceps as you also push down during a contraction. Ventouse is a suction cup which is placed on baby’s head firmly and also pulled by the doctor while you push.   The choice of instrument will depend on the situation, how many weeks pregnant you are…

Pre-eclampsia usually isn’t diagnosed until at least 20 weeks of pregnancy, but it actually starts early on.  If the blood vessels in your placenta don’t embed properly into your womb, it means the blood flow from the placenta to baby isn’t as optimal as usual.  Your body tries to compensate for this by tightening all the blood vessels in your body, in order to send more blood to your baby.  This in turn increases your blood pressure and eventually the blood vessel walls will start to become damaged, creating small holes.  These holes let some fluids from your bloodstream leak…

Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is when you experience pain in your lower back, around your symphysis pubic area, between your perineum and vagina and/or down into your thighs. It can feel worse when you are doing activities such as walking, climbing the stairs, stepping out of the car, stepping into the bath, turning over in bed, getting dressed or having sexual intercourse.  The pain can feel like grinding or clicking and can impede your daily activities.  The symptoms usually become worse as baby grows due to the additional weight in your uterus and the increase of the hormone ‘relaxin’ being…

What we do Children’s Physiotherapy is a specialist community physiotherapy service for babies, children and young people living in Herefordshire.  Children’s physiotherapists have additional knowledge and experience of child development and childhood disabilities.  Children’s physiotherapists are responsible for the assessment and physical rehabilitation of children and young people who are identified as having difficulties with the development of gross motor skills and mobility as a result of accident, injury, disease or disability.  They also see children with specific conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, gait anomalies and life-limiting conditions.  Children’s’ physiotherapists use a variety of…

Your perineum Your perineum is the tissue between your vagina and your anus.  During birth you can experience perineal trauma/tearing.  This can be classified into four degrees of severity: 1st degree – these only affect the skin, they usually do not require any repair and heal quickly on their own. 2nd degree – these affect the skin and the perineal muscle layer, repair is usually needed. 3rd and 4th degree – 3.5% of women will experience a more substantial tear which involves the muscle that controls the anus. This degree of tear will need to be repaired in theatre. Episiotomy…

Wye Valley NHS Trust is the provider of healthcare services at Hereford County Hospital, which is based in the city of Hereford, along with a number of community services for Herefordshire and its borders. We also provide healthcare services at community hospitals in the market towns of Ross-on-Wye, Leominster and Bromyard.  The Trust exists to improve the wellbeing, independence and health of the people we serve. Our workforce of around 3,000 provides a range of specialist and generalists functions. We have strong clinical network connections with trusts in Birmingham, Worcester, Gloucester and Cardiff. With an annual turnover of around £295…

Do not attend hospital/clinic if you have COVID-19 symptoms High temperature, a new, continuous cough, a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste   Visiting arrangements - updated 30/04/25  Visiting restrictions updated at the Trust's hospitals.  The latest information on visiting restrictions, including ward closures that may be in place are listed on our visiting page. Surgical face masks for staff, patients and visitors – updated 26/2/25 Staff - staff will be wearing a face mask on a case by case basis/or on personal preference. Patients and visitors - it is patient/visitor choice regarding wearing a face mask in our hospitals/clinics. …

Epilepsy