Nicki Lloyd - Health Care Support Worker (HCSW) My name is Nicki Lloyd and I am a Health Care Support Worker on Lugg Ward at Hereford County Hospital. My job role involves assisting the nurses with the care of patients on the ward. This can involve personal care, changing beds, taking clinical observations, testing blood sugar levels, emptying catheters, taking ECGs and taking blood samples. I decided to become a HCSW with Wye Valley Trust as I had been working in Adult Social Care in a variety of rolls for about 16 years, and wanted to gain new skills which…

Arrow ward is the designated Respiratory ward shared with the General Medical team at The County Hospital. The ward is made up of 24 beds split between five bays and five side rooms as well as a procedure room. Up to 16 of these beds are reserved for respiratory patients and the procedure room is often used for patients who need invasive procedures, such as chest drains. For visiting information also see this page. The ward is staffed with Nurses who are trained to look after a wide variety patients, particularly those who have respiratory issues. This includes patients who…

Reduced fetal movements describes a reduction in the usual amount of movements your baby makes, a loss of movements or weaker movements.  There are a few reasons why you might feel your baby’s movements have changed, if baby is in a different position, if you are in a different position or where the position of your placenta is, for example, if your placenta is at the front of your tummy then you might feel less movements. You will probably have started to feel your baby move from around 16 to 20 weeks of pregnancy and from around 32 weeks you…

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…

Having a baby should be one of the most exciting times in your life. Sadly, we know that some babies die during pregnancy, or in the days following birth. We can only imagine this is an extremely difficult time for you and we are very sorry for your loss. All of our maternity staff are trained as part of their mandatory training to provide support and offer gold standard care to bereaved families. Our specialist bereavement midwife, Abbie Hughes, will guide you through some of the difficult choices, co-ordinate and provide individualised care throughout your journey, for as little or long as needed.  Please see below contact details for Abbie.…

Please find below links to the maternity ward/department website pages, which provide information about these areas including visiting arrangements and contact details.  Early pregnancy assessment unit (EPAU)  This is a clinic which assesses women in early pregnancy who have bleeding or pain (up to 18 weeks of pregnancy). It is located on the second floor of Hereford County Hospital, within the women's health department - contact details. Maternity triage Our maternity triage unit is here to help you day or night. It is located on the second floor at Hereford County Hospital, near to the maternity ward. If you have…

COVID-19 Osteoporasis information for public   What is Osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is the term used to describe bones when they become ‘porous’, when the struts which make up the mesh-like structure within bone start to disappear. This leads to a reduction in bone strength and an increased risk of fracture after injuries such as a low impact fall. These broken bones or ‘fragility fractures’ can occur in different parts of the body, although the wrist, hip and spine are most commonly affected. Osteoporosis is thought to affect 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men during their lifetime. It is…

 WVT is a member of the NHS pension scheme, which is generally considered to be one of the most advantageous schemes for the employee. If you are eligible you will be automatically enrolled into the NHS Pension Scheme.  The scheme is eligible to all NHS workers between the age of 16 and 75, who are directly employed by the NHS, are medical, dental and ophthalmic practitioners and trainees, are general medical practice staff, are staff working for certain approved employers, are non-general practice providers. There are seven rates of member contribution, ranging from 5 per cent of pensionable pay for the lowest earners to…

8 to 10 weeks during pregnancy Blood test Haemoglobin anaemia is caused by too little haemoglobin (Hb) in the blood. The Hb is tested as part of the full blood count.  HB carries oxygen and nutrients around the body and to the baby.  Anaemia can make you feel very tired and if you are found to be anaemic you will be offered iron supplements and diet advice.  Blood Group & Antibodies - it is important to find out if you are Rhesus Positive or Negative.  If you are Rhesus Negative you will require extra blood tests and be advised to have…

This page is specifically for Children and Young People and their parents and carers. Below you will find a list of leaflets, resources and advice that you may find useful.   Documents: Coordination booklet - coming soon Cutlery   Useful links: Cosmic Kids- https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga Shoelaces- https://www.nhsggc.org.uk/media/256011/shoelace-tying-information-sheet.pdf Shoelaces- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DiF3lFzOeM Cutlery - https://eazyhold.com/ Motivation – Virtuous Feedback cycle https://www.instagram.com/tv/CDVx2KUhGd6/?igshid=17u6e1jd78efc Life skills for teenagers- https://www.nhsggc.org.uk/kids/resources/information-packs/life-skills-for-teenagers-falkirk-council-booklet/ Life skills for little ones- https://www.nhsggc.org.uk/media/2068/life-skills-for-little-ones.pdf   The OT toolbox. So many skills can be built on with what you already have at home. If there is an area your child has particular difficulty with there are a…