Maternity services

Attendance of partners at ultrasound scans

On-going risk assessments have been undertaken and have taken into consideration that local Covid-19 infection rates and hospital admissions are continuing to reduce. We are therefore pleased to announce that from 12 April 2021, women will be able to bring their support partner to all scan appointments:

• 1^st trimester nuchal translucency (NT) scan which takes place around 12 weeks’ gestation.
• The anomaly scan at 20 weeks’ gestation.
• Growth scans around 36 weeks
• All other scans

Labour and Birth

Women can continue to be supported throughout labour and immediately following birth by one nominated birth partner who must not have any Covid symptoms.

Postnatal and antenatal ward

Following a further risk assessment of the clinical areas and in line with updated Government guidance, we are now able to welcome the chosen birthing partner onto our antenatal and post-natal wards. This will be between the hours of 8am - 8pm. Covid-19 precautions including a surgical face mask and social distancing will need to be adhered to whilst on the unit.

These times and guidelines will update along with the National Guidance. If all remains well, we will be hoping to revert to a normal visiting pattern by the 21st of June (Step 4 of the Government Plan).

We provide maternity care for around 5,000 mothers and their babies every year. Our maternity services are provided at both the Epsom and St Helier hospitals. Both hospitals have inpatient antenatal (during pregnancy) and postnatal (after the birth) facilities along with midwifery-led birth centre and obstetric-led labour wards.

We provide a full range of maternity services from the start of your pregnancy, through the birth and the early days with your baby, for all women living in our local area. Although every woman’s pregnancy is different, all mothers to be will receive midwifery-led care, usually shared with your GP. Our experienced midwifery teams are here to help you have as an enjoyable pregnancy and birth experience as possible, and to guide you in making the choices that best fit your needs. For those who have any medical or pregnancy complications, there is a team of obstetricians available 24 hours a day.

We take great pride in providing maternity care which is centered on your personal needs and circumstances.    

People you know. Care you trust.

In this section you'll find information on:

We are an accredited Gold Baby Friendly Service

We are proud to be an accredited Gold Baby Friendly Service, recognising our high standards in encouraging and supporting new mums to bond with their babies and make the best personal choice in how to feed their newborn. For more about the benefits this brings, please visit
www.unicef.org.uk/BabyFriendly (opens in a new window).

Flu information and resources

Flu occurs every year, usually in the winter, which is why it’s sometimes called seasonal flu. It’s a highly infectious disease with symptoms that come on very quickly. Colds are much less serious and usually start gradually with a stuffy or runny nose and a sore throat. A bad bout of flu can be much worse than a heavy cold. The most common symptoms of flu are fever, chills, headache, aches and pains in the joints and muscles, and extreme tiredness. Healthy individuals usually recover within two to seven days, but for some the disease can lead to hospitalisation, permanent disability or even death.

Please read the below information leaflet about the flu vaccination and why it is so important to patients of our maternity services.

Flu vaccination - who needs it and why? [pdf] 651KB

The International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes

As a Baby Friendly unit, we adhere to the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes (opens in a new window). The code states that there should be no display or distribution of any materials produced by the manufacturers of breast milk substitutes, bottles, teats or dummies in any part of the healthcare facility.

This requirement is intended to restrict the influence of commercial interests around infant feeding and so protect breastfeeding and bottle-feeding mothers from inaccurate or misleading information.

Virtual tours

Please watch the videos below for a virtual tour of our maternity departments at Epsom and St Helier.