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Maternity services (Obstetrics)

A happy family

Obstetrics is the speciality of looking after women and their children during pregnancy, during childbirth and following childbirth.

An obstetrician may be involved in your care as part of the multi-disciplinary team and especially if there are complications during your pregnancy, delivery or afterwards.   You may also be referred to an obstetrician for a consultation. If you have a no problems during your pregnancy you will usually see a GP and a midwife only.

We hope that your pregnancy runs smoothly, as most do, and you will only require our services for a short while. However, if there are complications, we're here to help in a variety of different ways.

As St Helier is a teaching hospital, and part of the University Hospitals NHS Trust, it has a reassuringly impressive range of the latest technology, as well as dedicated teams of highly trained professionals.

Both Epsom Hospital and St Helier Hospital have a maternity unit, providing care for pregnant women at the antenatal, intrapartum (labour and birth) and postnatal stages. The hospital and community midwifery service is fully integrated and managed by the Trust.

The maternity facilities on the St Helier site are currently being upgraded. As part of the refurbishment, high dependency and midwifery led units are being developed. We also offer the option of a home birth to women with low-risk pregnancies.

We are working towards the UNICEF's Baby Friendly Accreditation – a five stage process which aims to improve the take-up and continuation of breast feeding for the overall improvement of public health. Stage one has now been achieved at Epsom Hospital.
  • Antenatal care Information about the antenatal care provided to mothers-to-be by the Trust.
  • Delivery It's important for you to make informed choices about the sort of care you would like and where you would like to give birth.
  • Maternity assessment unit The maternity assessment unit provides a "walk-in" service for women who are at least 20 weeks pregnant and have either been referred by a health professional or have a concern themselves regarding their pregnancy.
  • Midwives and maternity clinics A midwife is specially trained to care for mothers and babies throughout normal pregnancy, labour and after the birth. St Helier midwives work both in hospital and in the community to provide better continuity of care.
  • Neonatal care The neonatal unit provides emergency care for sick newborn babies. Babies born at less than 34 weeks and those likely to need intensive or high dependency care are brought to St Helier Hospital which offers level two care.
  • Postnatal care Postnatal care will depend on the type of care you've had, how you are feeling, and how your baby is. Some mums choose to go home 6 hours after giving birth, and others may stay in for longer.
  • Problems in pregnancy In this section we wanted to give a brief outline of some of the more common problems, but they are of course best discussed individually with your doctor.
  • Pelvic floor / perineal clinic The pelvic floor/perineal clinic in the urogynaecology department sees women who have sustained significant perineal (vaginal/anal) injury following childbirth. Symptoms can include pain, difficulty with sexual intercourse, scarring and/or urinary and faecal incontinence. These injuries can also cause significant psychological trauma.
  • Survey of women's experiences of maternity services The Care Quality Commission's 'Survey of women's experiences of maternity services 2010', shows that the Trust is performing very well in a number of key areas, including the overall level of care given to new mums throughout their pregnancy and labour.
  • Maternity services liaison committee The maternity services liaison committee (MSLC) brings together a group of individuals who all have an interest in maternity care. The MSLC meetings give you the opportunity to voice your views and ideas regarding our maternity services. The MSLC is made up of about 20 people, although not all attend every meeting.

Key staff

Mr Hassan Shehata
Clinical lead for obstetrics and gynaecology, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist 
 
Jeanette Hennessy
Lead midwife - inpatient services (St Helier Hospital)
 
Patience Ohikhena
Lead midwife - antenatal and community services
 
Nicola Shepherd
Acting lead midwife (Epsom Hospital)
 
Gina Brockwell
Lead midwife - normality (birth centre, St Helier Hospital)
 
Suzanne Bouchard
Lead midwife - pracitce facilitator

Sher Morris
Lead midwife - clinical governance

Meet our midwife supervisors

Contact details

Sally Sivas
Head of Midwifery
Tel: 020 8296 2908

More information

The NHS has produced a complete guide to a healthy pregnancy, labour, giving birth, and life with your new baby. This book will be given to you free of charge on your first appointment, which is also an opportunity to discuss how and where you want to have your baby.

Maternity statistics

The pregnancy planner - your NHS guide to having a baby

Acknowledgements

The women's health department would like to thank Fiona Smout, marketing consultant and web designer, for the content of this section.
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