Wye Valley NHS Trust

Temporary suspension of home birth service: Frequently asked questions 1.      Why has the home birth service been temporarily suspended? The Trust has temporarily paused the service following a national request for all NHS Trusts to assess the sustainability and safety of their home birth provision. Although no recent safety concerns about the Trust’s home birth service have been noted, in light of the national directive, we have reviewed the service and have identified areas in which we need to improve to ensure that we have a safe and sustainable service. In response to the national and local increase in the…

'Martha's Rule' is an important patient safety initiative that gives patients, families, carers and our staff an additional escalation pathway if they are concerned that a patient is acutely deteriorating.

Birth Story 1 – An emergency caesarean section ‘I had my daughter 7 weeks early on the 7th January 2022 by category 1 caesarean section. I had come in during the middle of the night for monitoring as baby’s movements felt very off. I had felt her move, but my gut instinct was telling me something was wrong. Thought I'd just go in and she would be fine on the monitor, put my mind at rest and I could go home to bed. Turned out baby was in distress and within an hour of being on the monitor, I had…

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…

Further reading  Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology: Induction of labour, information for patients https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/patients/patient-leaflets/induction-of-labour---information-for-people-who-use-nhs-services/  NICE, Induction of Labour guideline   National Childbirth Trust https://www.nct.org.uk/sites/default/files/related_documents/Newburn%20Induction%20of%20labour%20pp12-13.pdf  Why Induction Matters by Rachel Reed (Book - 2018)  MidwifeThinking.com - Rachel Reed   Inducing labour, making informed decisions by Dr Sara Wickham (Book - 2018)  In Your Own Time: How western medicine controls the start of labour and why this needs to stop by Dr Sara Wickham (Book - 2021)  Your human rights during your birth  Obstetric Cholestasis  Appendix  Risks associated with having a caesarean section include:  Higher than normal blood loss – haemorrhage Infection Injury…

Welcome to Wye Valley NHS Trust Community Midwifery, our aim is to support you and your family through pregnancy, labour and after the birth. As a team of Community Midwives we aim to provide the highest standard of care support and advice. We offer of range of options where to give birth to your baby, either in hospital, or at home. It is our aim to help you achieve your ideal birth experience, be that in the home or within the hospital. We have five Community Midwifery Teams providing care to the women of Herefordshire. Your named midwife is linked…

The Rheumatology Service at Hereford County Hospital focuses on inflammatory arthritis and connective tissue disease. Our service provides: Early diagnosis and long-term management to preserve joint function and prevent major organ damage. Expertise in diagnosis and management of patients with complex systemic inflammatory disease. Special interest in early inflammatory arthritis and vasculitis. Ultrasound service and intra-articular and soft tissue injections. Education and specialist knowledge to patients, their families and carers about their disease, drugs, and monitoring. Rheumatology patient telephone and email advice service. Physiotherapy led clinics for Inflammatory Back Pain, Axial Spondyloarthropathies, Hypermobility Syndromes and Fibromyalgia Peripheral clinic in Llandrindod…

Below is a list of our main community services.  This does not include every community service provided by the Trust. Friends and Family Test The Friends and Family Test. is a simple question that patients are asked about the care they have received. The test is part of a way of gathering patient feedback and driving improvement in NHS hospital services across the country. Guidance on the use of mobile phone and others device for patients and visitors  View information about our policy and guidance on mobile phones and other device use, which is in place to protect the confidentiality and privacy…

Please bring your appointment letter with you to your appointment. Please also ensure you bring your full address, telephone number, GP details and red book. If you are unable to attend, please contact us as soon as possible on 01432 349620 Please ensure that you do not bring other children to the appointment, this is to ensure that your child is not distracted during the assessment. Please let us know if you require an interpreter. Please note mobile phones must be switched off when in the Children’s Hearing Centre as they can cause interference with the testing equipment.  

Where to go when you arrive at hospital Patients are asked to report to the reception area indicated on their appointment letter.  Patients attending appointments in Oxford Suite, Eign Suite and Audiology please check in at the main reception at the front entrance to Hereford County Hospital. When you receive a letter, giving you information of the date and time of your appointment, it should state which reception area that you need to attend. If you are unsure of where to go, ask at the main reception/information desk located in the main hospital entrance area. Outpatient areas have reception desks…