Mums-to-be
Website for you
Check out our website www.westmidmaternity.org.uk which is designed to help you make informed decisions about your birth. It has a video tour of our maternity unit, details of our early-bird classes, birth options and lots more.
The maternity service is experiencing a high level of activity. If you are booked to have your baby with us, and providing there are no complications, please be prepared to go home between six and 12 hours after the birth.
Your midwife will advise you on admission when you are likely to go home. Thank you for your co-operation.
Patient Information
Click here to access our patient information website
Contact details
Women may be referred for maternity care by their GP or can contact the antenatal clinic or a midwife direct.
020 8321 5007 Antenatal Clinic
020 8321 5006 Antenatal Clinic Sister
020 8321 5953 Day Assessment Unit
020 8321 5111/2 Ultrasound Department
020 8321 5950 Antenatal Ward
020 8321 5946/7 Labour Ward
020 8321 5954/7 Postnatal Ward
020 8321 5944/5 Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU)
020 8321 2581 Community Midwife Office
020 8321 6678 Barbara Butler, Matron for Maternity Services, barbara.butler@wmuh.nhs.uk
020 8321 6878 Marina Wingham, Matron for Community and Postnatal Services, marina.wingham@wmuh.nhs.uk
020 8321 2580 Tonie Neville, General Manager Maternity Services & Head of Midwifery, tonie.neville@wmuh.nhs.uk
Our location
The Queen Mary Maternity and Women’s Health Unit is located at the front of the main hospital grounds in its own self-contained integrated building. Click here for information on how to get to the hospital.
About our service
The maternity service seeks to meet the needs, rights, and expectations of women and their families by providing choice and flexibility of care within the limits of safe practice
We offer a range of midwifery, obstetric and special care baby facilities to women living in the Hounslow and Twickenham areas. Women living further afield may be accepted for care if numbers permit.
We help over 4,000 women deliver babies each year, with 40 to 50 women giving birth at home.
Natural Birth Centre
We have a modern centre designed to support normal labour which provides a 'home away from home' environment, with birthing pools, deep baths, and appropriate privacy and dignity. We opened the centre in October 2008 as a direct result of patient feedback.
Midwifery care
Midwifery care includes community based antenatal clinics, waterbirths, home births for women living locally, and home postnatal care for local women who have delivered in other hospitals. Antenatal and breastfeeding classes are offered for all first time mothers.
Obstetric care
This is provided for women with complicated pregnancies. This includes specialist medical clinics for women with conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy and specialist anaesthetic and psychiatric clinics.
The service works closely with other healthcare professionals including GPs, social services, health visitors, physiotherapists and dietitians. Antenatal and postnatal care is shared with GPs.
Scans
The Antenatal Department is supported by ultrasound which is equipped with four modern ultrasound machines. Women are routinely offered two scans in their pregnancy: a dating scan (12 - 16 weeks) and an anomaly scan (20 - 24 weeks). All women are offered combined testing.
If a high risk pregnancy is detected, women are referred to the Fetal Machine Unit at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in Hammersmith.
Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU)
The Special Care Baby Unit has 16 cots and provides care for babies of 28 weeks gestation and over. Very small babies and very ill babies are transferred to a neonatal intensive care unit until they are stable.
You can the unit on 020 8321 5944 / 5945.
Bonding
The department prides itself on being patient-focused and offering a positive experience of bonding with their unborn child for the first time.
Social care
If you need to speak to a Social Worker please contact 020 8321 5620 or discuss it with your midwife. Maternity Services and Social Workers cannot deal with housing problems. Please contact 0800 085 6575 for advice regarding housing and council house queries, and 020 8583 3842 for homeless queries. Benefit entitlement can be obtained through your local job centre.
Help with language
We can help with translation if English is not your first language because it's important that you understand the care you will be given.
About our team
The General Manager, Tonie Neville, is head of Midwifery and reports to the Director of Operations.
Six teams of midwives deliver midwifery care. Each covers a different local area. The teams work flexibly to provide continuity of care to woemn from the time tehy book with the service until their transfer to the care of a health visitor ten days after delivery. Midwives from other teams cross over when needed. A core of hospital-based midwives provides clinical expertise, support for the teams and antenatal and postnatal care within the Queen Mary Maternity Unit. Maternity Assistants and Obstetric Nurses work under the indirect supervision of hte midwives in the Maternity Unit.
12 Obstetric Consultants and their firms are linked to the midwifery teams to maximise good communication, consistent information and continuity of care. There are six Paediatric Consultants and one is responsible for the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU).
An adminstrative team provides support to consultants, managers and all clinical areas.
Key achievements
We are delighted to have been the first maternity unit in London to achieve full accreditation by UNICEF as a Baby Friendly hospital, meaning that the care given to mothers and babies around infant feeding has been assessed and has reached internationally recognised standards. We also hold CNST level three – the highest level – for the quality and safety of our maternity healthcare.
Endorsements and patient feedback
Our Maternity Service is proud of its reputation for excellence. Women say they are listened to and involved in their care. Staff say they feel valued and are supported to practise autonomously.
Users views are sought on any proposed changes to care pathways or the environment. Satisfaction levels are continually measured to determine service improvements. Please contact Tonie Neville, General Manager, or Barabara Butler, Matron for Maternity Services, on the details above if you would like to provide feedback. Feedback can be in person, by post, phone or email.
Supervision in midwifery
The aim of supervision in midwifery is to safeguard and enhance the quality of care for the childbearing mother and her family. Statutory supervision of midwivers and midwifery practice has long been established within the profession and is an essential tool supporting midwives to provide the best possible care for mothers and babies.
Supervisors of midwivers are advocates for women as well and can be enlisted to asisst in a variety of aspects including providing sources of information for various aspects of pregnacy as well as managing complaints and medication between health profesions where required.
A supervisor is available to support midwifery practice 24 hours a day. Women who wish to contact a supervisor can do so via the labour ward.
Working for us
Midwives interested in working at West Middlesex are welcome to contact a midwifery manager at any time for details and to arrange an informal visit. Vacancies are advertised under the working for us section of the website.
Useful links
www.westmidmaternity.org.uk
www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com or phone 0870 444 8707
www.midwife.org.uk
www.drfoster.co.uk
www.birthchoiceuk.com/
www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/maternity.cfm
