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…

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…

Video: What positions are best for giving birth? In this video, a midwife talks through some of the best positions to give birth. Research shows that adopting upright positions in labour can: Aid in the descent of baby through your pelvis Reduces the pressure on your aorta, the large blood vessel which transports oxygenated blood from your heart to the rest of your body. This in turn increases the oxygen supply to baby, and decreases the chance of abnormal fetal heart patterns and therefore reduces the chance of caesarean section. Allows baby to get into an optimal position for birth…

Birth to 2 hours During this time you will be on Delivery Suite having your well-earned tea and toast and bath while your midwife finishes all of your labour and birth notes. Following the birth of your baby the midwife will conduct an initial top to toe examination of your baby to assess for wellbeing and to identify anything unusual. The check will be performed next to you to provide information and reassurance.  4 hours to 24 hours At this point you will transferred on to Maternity Ward and handover of care will be given from your birth midwife to…

Infant feeding and Baby Friendly Status Wye Valley NHS Trust was reaccredited by UNICEF in October 2024 for work with mothers and newborn babies and awarded Baby Friendly Status.  Recognising that best practice standards are in place to protect, promote and support breastfeeding and all mothers/parents with their informed feeding choices. This award also recognises best practice in strengthening and supporting mother-baby and family relationships. Guide about our policy to support new families to make informed choices about infant feeding. What we offer We provide a high level of support for all mothers/parents with infant feeding choices, which includes breast feeding and…

The maternity ward is located on the second floor at Hereford County Hospital. If you are not wishing for an early discharge from Delivery Suite or if you and your baby need some additional monitoring or support with feeding then you will be transferred to Maternity Ward shortly after birth. When you arrive a midwife will be assigned to care for you and they will come and introduce themselves. There are also Maternity Support Workers and Healthcare Assistants on the ward who can support you and help you with baby cares. Below is some useful information about how the ward…

Leaving hospital, discharge from hospital

The risks associated with induction of labour

  For most pain conditions, pain medication is a choice for symptom relief rather than a necessity to stop a disease process. Any treatment with medicines results in a balance of benefits and harms; if the medicine doesn’t relieve the symptoms then the result of taking the medicine is harm only. Medication can be helpful in acute or short-term pain, and may be used in persistent pain but the latest research shows us that pain medications can become less effective over time and also cause unpleasant side-effects, even increasing sensitivity to pain. That is why it is important to incorporate…

Trust Board  The Trust is led by a Board of Directors made up of the Chairman, Non Executive Directors and Executive Directors, including the Chief Executive. The Trust Board is responsible for ensuring that the Trust carries out its requirement to provide health services for the local population effectively, efficiently, economically and in a safe environment. Meet the members of the board and view their biographies - If you would like to contact one of the Board members please use our website feedback form. Trust's Mission, Vision and Values - our vision, mission, values and Trust strategic objectives Trust Board members' register of interests Join…