Wye Valley NHS Trust

Monitoring Data A key priority, in line with our public sector duty, is to collect and publish data that can help us work together to improve our employment practices and services for all communities (Ethnicity, Age, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Religion & Belief, Disability, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Gender Re-assignment, Pregnancy and Maternity). Herefordshire Population Census 2011 2021 Census - Herefordshire Council Gender Pay Gap Gender pay gap 2022/23 If you require Gender Pay Gap data for previous years that is not available on this website page please contact our communications team Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) From 1 April 2015, all…

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…

We offer learners who are part of a further education (FE) programme and, as a cohorted group, would like to come and join the organisation as part of a rotation programme.

Please ask your midwife about antenatal colostrum harvesting.  There are many reasons why you might choose to do this, regardless of your feeding goals. It is of particular benefit where your baby is at risk of having low blood sugars after birth for instance, if you are diabetic or taking certain medications.  Your midwife will give you a pack with all you need to get started and explain when it is safe to do so.  Colostrum is the first milk produced by your body.  This starts in pregnancy as your body prepares for the birth of your baby. It is…

1 in 13 babies are born prematurely (before 37 weeks) in the UK.  If you start showing signs of labour before 37 weeks you will need to ring our triage department as soon as possible and come in to be assessed.  Early labour signs can include: Your waters breaking Abdominal pain Regular tightenings Vaginal blood loss Our special care baby unit in Hereford can provide care for babies who are 32 weeks and above. Therefore if you were to go into labour before this then a transfer to an appropriate unit would be organised as a matter of urgency. Once…

About the service Our health visiting teams work with families, early years, health colleagues and other agencies to support the health and wellbeing of pre-school children across Herefordshire. Health visitors are qualified nurses or midwives who have additional training in specialist community and public health nursing. They have specialist training in children's development and health promotion. The health visiting teams comprise health visitors, community staff nurses, and community nursery nurses. As a service, we are committed to supporting the training of students, so students may accompany us during visits. If you would prefer for a student not to be present,…

Women’s Health Department Patient information leaflet – Post-Menopausal Bleeding (PMB)   What is Post-menopausal bleeding? Any bleeding from the vagina after menopause. This can be light spotting, a change in discharge colour or heaver bleeding. What causes post-menopausal bleeding? There can be many different causes, including: The walls of the vagina become thinner. Small skin-tag growths (polyps) in the vagina, cervix or uterus. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) making the womb lining thicker.   Most of the time, the cause of post-menopausal bleeding is not serious, but sometimes it can be a sign of cancer of the cervix, vagina or endometrium…

What will happen during my induction of labour? Your midwife will ask to take your observations (blood pressure, temperature, pulse, oxygen levels, breathing rate) The midwife will then ask to monitor your baby’s heartrate continuously for around 30 minutes on a CTG monitor Your midwife will then ask for your consent to carry out a vaginal examination to assess your cervix The midwife will then insert the prostaglandin (Propess) high in your vagina Your baby’s heart rate will then be monitored for another 30 minutes to check baby hasn’t immediately been affected To help encourage tightenings, it is important to…

Aromatherapy is a great way to individualise your birth environment and to help you feel more relaxed.  Relaxation is key in labour, as this can help you release more oxytocin - the love hormone which helps labour progression. The use of aromatherapy in labour and birth has been found to reduce the need for stronger forms of pain relief. One study found that the need for opioid pain relief reduced from 6% down to 0.4% (Burns et al, 2000). Aromatherapy is a complementary therapy that uses essential oils, derived from plants, for their therapeutic benefit.  The benefits are wide-ranging and…

Wye Valley NHS Trust was recognised by UNICEF in 2019 for work with mothers and newborn babies and awarded Baby Friendly Status.  If your baby is admitted to the special care baby unit, you may feel a little overwhelmed at all the information that you receive with regard to feeding your baby. The staff on the special care baby unit will support you to establish your chosen method of feeding once your baby is able to start enteral feeding. Initially, your baby may require intravenous fluids until we are able to start giving them some milk feeds. If your baby…