NNUH unveils plans for new birthing unit

Plans have been approved to open a new £400,000 birthing unit that will deliver one-to-one midwifery-led care at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

The hospital currently provides a shared consultant and midwife service from its 12-bed delivery suite and a home birth service provided by the hospital's community midwives.

A rising birth rate locally has seen the numbers of babies delivered by NNUH staff go up from 4,855 in 2003/04 to 5,931 deliveries over the last year (2010/11).

The establishment of a new four-room birthing unit located at the hospital is designed to allow women with straightforward births to have a natural delivery in a more homely and less medical setting and will also take pressure off the very busy delivery suite.

Head of Midwifery Glynis Moore said: “We are pleased we will be getting a new midwifery-led birthing unit. This will give women a greater choice of where to have their baby and the additional birthing rooms will enable easier access to the hospital for all women in labour.”

Midwifery-led birthing units are organised and managed by midwives and offer care throughout labour, birth and the immediate post delivery period. Around 20% of all births can be undertaken in a midwifery-led birthing unit.

The new birthing unit will cost around £400,000 and have four en-suite birthing rooms and a birthing pool room located on Blakeney Ward. Building work on the unit is due to start in and complete by the end of July. An additional four midwives are being recruited for the unit.