The Trust offers video consultations to some of our patients, as appropriate. The decision to offer this type of appointment will be made by a medical professional depending on your individual care needs. Video consultations are easy to use and are often more convenient for our patients. The Trust uses the MS Teams Bookings application for video consultations, which is a secure web-based platform for patients with pre-arranged video consultation appointments. The patient will receive a link either by email or text to join the MS Teams meeting and by clicking on the provided link on their mobile device or…

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…

The respiratory physiology service at Wye Valley NHS Trust provides a service in respiratory, exercise and sleep physiology, for inpatients and outpatients from the Trust. The department provides a comprehensive range of investigations in order to: Aid diagnosis Give an objective assessment of how a condition affects the patient’s functionally Display and define the contribution of any secondary condition Monitor improvement with treatment or deterioration with time  Investigations are performed on patients with various types of lung disease, cardiac and oesophageal conditions and, on occasions, patients being considered for non-thoracic surgery when their cardio-pulmonary state gives cause for concern. Patients…

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…

Pre-employment checks Once you have been offered a post, we have to undertake a number of mandatory checks which help us to keep you, our patients, staff and visitors safe. These checks have to be completed before we can agree your start date and send you a contract. We aim to complete these checks as quickly as possible. For your information, here is a list of the checks that we carry out for everyone who applies for a job at Wye Valley NHS Trust. Identity  We will ask you to provide us with documents which confirm your identity. These documents…

If you have forgotten or were not able to take your Biologic drug at the right time, take it as soon as you remember. Your next dose of biologic will need to be taken with the usual time gap between injections for your type of biologic. This will mean that the day of the week you normally take your drug will change. For example, if you take weekly Etanercept, and inject on Tuesdays. You might forget to take your weekly injection on a Tuesday, but then remember on Wednesday and take it then; you would then need to change your…

What you choose to put in your body really affects how you feel and how healthy you are. Eating the right sort of foods in the right amount is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health. Eating unhealthily can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes. These conditions can increase the risk of heart and circulatory problems. There are lots of resources available to support you to understand a healthy approach to food and how to get into good eating habits that will help look after your heart health.…

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…

Congratulations on your pregnancy!  If you are newly pregnant you will need to self-refer to Wye Valley NHS Trust in order to make your first appointment.  Your first meeting with your midwife will take place when you are between eight to ten weeks pregnant. Whether this is your first pregnancy or you have had a baby before, you may have lots of questions about what to expect from your pregnancy care at our Trust.  This section will hopefully answer these queries and give you some additional useful information. We aim to provide the best possible care and experience for mothers, babies…