The Delivery Suite at Hereford County Hospital provides both Consultant-led and Midwife-led care. It is situated on the second floor, adjacent to the Maternity Ward. The Delivery Suite is equipped to meet your needs and you will be offered the full range and choice of pain relief options, depending on your birth plan. Once you’ve had your baby, you’ll move to the Maternity Ward.  Our delivery suite comprises of five, good sized birthing rooms. Each room has an ensuite bathroom, birthing bed and reclining chair for birth partners. We have equipment to help you personalise your room such as projector lights,…

Although your arteries are stretchy to cope with your blood pressure going up and down, if you have high blood pressure, your arteries lose their stretchiness and become stiff or narrow. The narrowing makes it easier for fatty material to clog them up, which can lead to a heart attack. Below are resources that help understand all about high blood pressure and how to correctly measure your blood pressure to monitor it at home. Checking your blood pressure at home Manage your blood pressure at home Understanding blood pressure (leaflet)

An instrumental birth refers to the use of either forceps or ventouse (suction cup). An instrumental birth happens for 1 in every 8 births.   Forceps are metal instruments which fit together around your baby’s head to speed up the process of baby being born during the pushing phase.  The doctor will pull the forceps as you also push down during a contraction. Ventouse is a suction cup which is placed on baby’s head firmly and also pulled by the doctor while you push.   The choice of instrument will depend on the situation, how many weeks pregnant you are…

Breech presentation is when a baby’s bottom or feet are lying at the base of the womb.  Breech presentation happens in 3-4% of pregnancies.  Many babies will be breech throughout pregnancy, but the majority will turn to be head down by 36-37 weeks. There are a few reasons which may contribute to why your baby is in the breech position: If you have too much fluid or too little fluid around the baby If this is your first pregnancy If you have a multiple pregnancy If your placenta is low lying in the womb In rare cases where the baby…

Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is when you experience pain in your lower back, around your symphysis pubic area, between your perineum and vagina and/or down into your thighs. It can feel worse when you are doing activities such as walking, climbing the stairs, stepping out of the car, stepping into the bath, turning over in bed, getting dressed or having sexual intercourse.  The pain can feel like grinding or clicking and can impede your daily activities.  The symptoms usually become worse as baby grows due to the additional weight in your uterus and the increase of the hormone ‘relaxin’ being…

  We recognise that each person with dementia is a unique individual and we adopt a person and family centred approach to care. We use documentation to help us get to know the patient, their likes and dislikes, their preferences and their routine: ‘this is me’.   We take our time and progress at a pace that works for our patient. We always aim to communicate effectively with our patient their family and carer. Our patients privacy and dignity is very important to us. We will respect the individuals wishes. As a result of individualised assessments for all people with…

The Herefordshire Cardiac Rehabilitation service offers you a combination of exercise and education sessions. Our aims are to help you get back to as full a life as possible, to empower and support you to make healthy, sustainable lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of further cardiac events. Delivery mode The service deliver face-to-face sessions in groups, in various environments across Herefordshire. For individuals where group session attendance is not possible, we have a home programme. Group Sessions Please do not attend if you are Covid-19 positive or if you have the following symptoms: a high temperature a new, continuous…

Gestational diabetes If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, it is because it has been found that you have a higher than normal level of glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream. It is called gestational diabetes because it has been found whilst you are pregnant.  In a small amount of cases, it may be that a woman has undiagnosed diabetes, not caused by pregnancy.  The only way to know this is after your baby is born.  If your blood glucose remains high or uncontrolled postnatally then it is likely you have type 2 diabetes, your GP will check this at…

When dealing with a chronic health condition or the management of persistent pain it is best to consult with a physiotherapist to find the best exercises that work for you. Persistent pain (over three months) should not be treated the same way as acute pain. Staying active and mobile Keeping active maintains fitness and improves physical and mental well-being, both of which are of critical importance in the management of pain.   An excellent resource by ‘HealthTalk’ challenges some of the myths related to pain and exercise. It includes videos and shared experiences of those living with persistent pain. Also,…

Hereford County Hospital address The postcode and address is Stonebow Road, The County Hospital, Hereford, HR1 2BN Accident & Emergency location The Accident & Emergency (A&E) department is located at the far end of the main hospital building. All patients and visitors to this department must use the designated A&E entrance. There is a drop-off and collection point at the main A&E entrance, and designated parking spaces for individuals with disabilities. The parking area is managed by a private contractor and charges apply, though concessions are available. There is more information on how to find us and available parking.