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News & Media

Media Release

Date: 1 June 2015

Maternity: One year on ...

The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating its one-year anniversary of running maternity services.

On 1 June 2014, the Trust took over the running of the maternity department at the Royal United Hospital in Bath as well as maternity services provided at community birth centres in Frome, Trowbridge, Chippenham, Paulton and Shepton Mallet.

The RUH maternity service has enjoyed a number of key successes in its first year including the achievement of accreditation from UNICEF's prestigious Baby Friendly Initiative in October 2014. Staff met the strict criteria required for accreditation to occur in all the birthing units across the maternity service and have worked hard towards improving the overall hospital experience for mothers, babies and their families.

We're also delighted to be offering mums giving birth in the Central Delivery Suite at the RUH a much more comfortable birthing experience, now that the existing beds have all been replaced by brand new fully-adjustable beds. The maternity team at the RUH is currently awaiting the completion of a specially designed pregnancy loss suite, which will ensure women receive sensitive and compassionate care at a very difficult time.

In addition to providing a consistently high level of service to the mothers and babies it cares for, the maternity service has also been extensively involved in national and international clinical research trials, designed to improve safety for women and children pre-, during- and post-labour.

Women giving birth at the Trust are currently taking part in two vital studies: one to measure the effectiveness of different medications designed to guard against post-birth haemorrhage and another into an alternative to blood transfusion for women suffering blood loss during Caesarean section.

At the same time as maternity services transferred to the RUH, a brand new division was created at the Trust. The Women and Children's Division brings together maternity, neonatal intensive care, gynaecological and paediatric services under one umbrella.

Bernie Marden, Head of the Women and Children's Division said: "The Women and Children's Division is a team united with the common goal of providing the best care possible for women, children and their families. The maternity team is a significant and important part of the division and its staff are driven by an energy and enthusiasm for what they can achieve for the families they care for, and for developing and improving our services. I am immensely proud of what our maternity team has achieved in this first year of our having run the service, and I look forward to seeing what they will continue to achieve over the coming years."

ENDS
Notes to Editors:

UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative
www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly
The UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative, set up in partnership with the World Health Organisation, aims to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding and to strengthen mother-baby and family relationships – and works with UK public services to achieve this goal.

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