Maternity triage

Maternity triage

Maternity triage phone number - 07990 986517, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We have introduced a new telephone system within Maternity Triage to reduce unnecessary wait times and improve patient experience by allowing calls from women, birthing people and their families to be prioritised. The contact number for Maternity Triage remains the same. However, all calls in to the new system from 6 May 2025 are now recorded for staff training, audit and monitoring purposes. 

How to find us

Maternity Triage is located on the second floor at Hereford County Hospital. Follow the main corridor from the main entrance of the hospital, past the Costa Coffee shop and Main Reception on the right.  After the Public toilets on the right hand side, turn right and either take the lift or stairs to the second floor.  From the main corridor on the second floor, follow signs for the Maternity Ward on the right hand side of the corridor, where you will see a separate entrance for Maternity Triage. 

Car Parking is available in the main hospital car parks – there are both ‘pay amd display’ and ‘pay on exit’ car parks on the hospital site.  How to find us and parking information

What you should do if you have concerns 

Urgent concerns up to 16 weeks gestation 

Before you are 16 weeks pregnant, if you have an urgent concern regarding your pregnancy please contact your GP, 111 or your nearest Emergency Department. A number of care pathways are available and the professional assessing you will let you know which is best for you based on your clinical symptoms.

Urgent concerns after 16 weeks gestation

Our Maternity Triage Unit provides 24/7 emergency advice and care for your urgent concerns from 16 weeks of your pregnancy up until 28 days after the birth of your baby.

If you have an urgent concern, please contact the midwives in Maternity Triage on
07990 986517 who are available day and night to discuss your concerns over the phone and decide whether you need to attend the unit for a face to face assessment.

List of urgent concerns after 16 weeks pregnant and who to contact

In many cases the symptoms listed below can be treated easily and will not lead to a serious complication, but sometimes they may be signs of something more serious. It is always best to contact Maternity Triage and be assessed if necessary.

You have concerns about your baby’s movements

Most women are first aware of their baby moving when they are 18 to 20 weeks pregnant. As your baby grows, both the number and type of movements will change with your baby’s activity pattern. During your pregnancy, feeling your baby move gives you reassurance of his or their wellbeing. Further information is available on the websites listed below.

• Your baby's movements in pregnancy | RCOG
• Leaflet and banner: Feeling your baby move is a sign that they are well | Tommy's

What should I do if I feel my baby’s movements are reduced or changed?

If you notice your baby is moving less than usual or you have noticed a change in pattern of movements, it may sometimes be a sign that your baby is unwell. It is essential that you contact Maternity Triage immediately so that your baby’s wellbeing can be assessed. Do not rely on any home kits you may have for listening to your baby’s heartbeat. The advice and care you will be receive when you report a reduction or change in your baby’s movements depends on your stage of pregnancy.

You have vaginal bleeding

A ‘show’ (the mucous plug) can start coming away from the cervix days (or sometimes weeks) before you go into labour. This will have a sticky, mucous and blood stained appearance and is completely normal. However, if you have fresh red vaginal bleeding please telephone Maternity Triage to discuss this.

If the vaginal bleeding is severe call 999 for an ambulance.

You think labour has started

Labour will start differently for each woman, but it usually starts with contractions. Once your contractions are coming regularly, around three times in every 10 minute period lasting for 40 to 60 seconds and are feeling consistently strong, it may be time to call Maternity Triage for assessment.  

You can phone for advice during the early phase of labour if you are concerned. For further information.  Visit the Tommy’s website for information about latent phase of labour.

You think your waters have broken

You may notice an increase in vaginal discharge during pregnancy. If you notice that it is very watery, coming in gushes or soaking sanitary wear, it may be a sign your waters have broken.  When your waters break, the colour should be clear or straw-coloured. If it is green or has brown particles in it could be a sign of a complication. You are advised to telephone Maternity Triage if you think your waters have broken at any stage of your pregnancy.

You have severe tummy pain or back pain that has suddenly started

Whilst it can be normal to have mild tightening’s through pregnancy, known as ‘Braxton Hicks’ (this is when you feel your stomach contracting and relaxing), if you experience sudden, sharp on-going pain that will not go away or sudden severe back pain you will need to telephone Maternity Triage.

You have the following symptoms that may indicate a change in your blood pressure

Please telephone Maternity Triage if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Persistent headache that doesn’t go away with paracetamol
• Spots in your vision or visual problems
• Pain in your upper right tummy
• Sudden swelling of your feet, hands or face, with one or more of the symptoms listed above 

Your hands and feet have started itching

Whilst itching is common in pregnancy, severe itching to hands and feet without a rash can be a sign of a problem with your liver. Please call Maternity Triage if you are concerned.

If you are feeling extremely unwell, or you’ve got flu like symptoms

Signs of sepsis in pregnancy can include:

• A temperature with hot flushes/chills
• A rise in your heart rate and breathing
• Flu like symptoms
• Vomiting and diarrhoea with tummy pain
• Foul smelling discharge (or blood loss if you have had your baby)] 

If you have the above symptoms please contact Maternity Triage so we can assess where the best place is for you to be seen – your GP, Emergency Department or Maternity Triage.

You’ve had your baby and you have concerns

If you have had a baby in the last 28 days and have:

• Increased vaginal blood loss, passing blood clots or offensive blood loss
• Severe headaches, blurred vision, visual disturbances
• Painful breasts, areas of redness or hot spots in your breasts
• Concerns about your perineal stitches or your caesarean section wound
• ‘Flu-like’ symptoms
• Pain or hot spots/redness in your calves

Please contact Maternity Triage so we can assess where the best place is for you to be seen – your GP, Emergency Department or Maternity Triage.

How Maternity Triage works 

If you are attending Maternity Triage with an urgent concern, the midwife will aim to see you within 15 minutes to carry out a brief assessment. After this assessment, depending on the urgency of your situation you may be asked to sit in the waiting area of Maternity Triage before receiving ongoing care. The ongoing care might be given by the midwife or the doctor depending on your problem.

In the Maternity Triage patients are prioritised based on their level of clinical need using the Birmingham Symptom-specific Obstetric Triage System (BSOTS) assessment tool, not their order of arrival. We appreciate your patience and understanding on this. This helps us to provide safe and effective care. You are welcome to bring one support person with you if you wish.

The four different categories that women/birthing people attending Maternity Triage will be placed in to following their assessment are as follows.

• Red (emergency): Seen and treated immediately
• Amber (urgent): Normally seen within 15 minutes
• Yellow (moderate): Normally seen within 1 hour
• Green (non-urgent): Normally seen within 4 hours 

Following your assessment, if you need to be reviewed by a doctor then there may be an additional wait. 

This video summarises the BSOTS tool and the four different categories that women/birthing people attending Maternity Triage will be placed in to, following their assessment.

• Video of Birmingham Symptom-specific Obstetric Triage System

Maternity Triage is for acute or emergency situations. If you concern is not an emergency or is not pregnancy/post birth related, you should either discuss with your community midwife at your next appointment or see your GP.

Patient property

We make every effort to ensure your belongings are safe and secure whilst you are in hospital. However, you are advised to bring only essential items into hospital as these are not insured under any hospital policy and will remain your own responsibility if they are lost.