Wye Valley NHS Trust

There is now strong evidence to say that homebirth is as safe as giving birth in hospital with many other psycho-social benefits.  Hutton et al (2019) state that ‘The risk of perinatal or neonatal mortality was not different when birth was intended at home or in hospital’. The Birthplace Study which involved 17,000 cases showed that homebirth is just as safe as giving birth in hospital for second or subsequent births. A possible explanation for this is that labouring in hospital is much more likely to involve interventions, which can interfere with normal physiology and cause further problems such as…

We have introduced a new maternity electronic patient record system.  This means that we no longer use paper forms for recording information about your maternity care. It only applies to the maternity service, which is from your first point of contact with one of our midwives through to when you are discharged from the care of your midwife to a health visitor.  Our midwifery team now record this information on the new electronic system online on a computer or iPad.   This means that we can access information about your maternity care in one place, safely and securely at all…

We encourage all patients to take an active role in their care, and we want to make sure your follow up appointments work better for you. We know that attending appointments can be time consuming, costly and cause worry. We are learning from you that follow up appointments are not always useful or needed. Now, you and your healthcare professional can work together to decide the best option for you, this may include: No follow up appointment at all. A follow up appointment for an agreed date, for example in six months.- Follow up appointments may be at the hospital,…

There are lots of ways in which you can support your local hospital as a volunteer. However much time you are able to give, you will be able to make a difference. This could be a couple of hours each month or several hours a week.

If you are unable to attend your appointment it is important to let us know as soon as possible. To cancel your appointment, please call the telephone number on your appointment letter, or call our Referral Management Centre 01432 257 810. We understand that patients sometimes cannot attend their hospital appointments or their child's appointment, for reasons such as child care responsibilities, transport difficulties, or feeling unwell. However, it’s important that patients make every effort to attend, and if unable to attend please do let us know in advance, so that we can keep the patient on our list, re-book…

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…

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…

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…

  Access to the unit - the unit has an intercom system to enter the unit.   Parents and visitors will be asked to confirm your identity by a member of staff, and visitors will be asked who they have come to see.   Please do not allow others to follow you through the door. Infection prevention - Parents and visitors will be asked to wash their hands and apply hand gel on entering the nursery. All outside clothing, such as coats, should be removed and there is a clothes rail to hang these on located in the sitting area, this is to…

Wye Valley NHS Trust currently works with a large number of organisations and suppliers to maintain the day to day running of the Trust. Our business partners and trading ethos Currently, we do business with over 4,000 suppliers every year and our supplier base is constantly growing. This covers all aspects of sales and service. From medical and surgical, furniture and stationery, legal and consultancy, laboratory equipment and supplies, clothing and IT to name but a few. We welcome your business and we work hard to establish long and mutually beneficial relationships with our suppliers. Always striving to exceed expectations.…