Expansion of maternity unit at NNUH

Over the next few months the Delivery Suite at the NNUH will be refurbished as part of the hospital’s regular programme of maintenance. The hospital has been successful in gaining £272,000 of funding from the Department of Health to improve the environment for patients and this resource will be used to create three additional bathrooms so that all birthing rooms will have en-suite facilities.

During the refurbishment, which starts in early June, the Delivery Suite will be relocated to Cley Ward which will have birthing rooms with all the relevant equipment and en-suite facilities. The hospital is also taking this opportunity to increase the overall capacity of the delivery suite and adding three new delivery rooms to the current complement to help the service cope with the predicted increase in the birth rate. The midwifery-led birthing unit is unaffected by these changes.

NNUH Head of Midwifery Glynis Moore, said:  “These improvements to the Delivery Suite will benefit our patients and boost our capacity for dealing with the increasing birth rate. We’re delighted that the extra funding has enabled us to provide more en-suite facilities so that our patients will have more privacy and a better experience when they give birth.”

The birth rate has increased from 4929 births in 2003 to 6352 births in 2012.

The Midwifery-led Birthing Unit has helped to address the increasing birth rate after being opened in August 2011 with 1187 births during the first year the unit was open. The unit offers women who are healthy with a straightforward pregnancy a home-from-home environment in which to have a natural birth.