QMC campus Virtual Tour Script for DVD Welcome to the Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust maternity unit at Queen s Medical Centre Hospital campus This film has been made to provide you with information about the maternity services available at NUH in Nottingham. This aims to enable you to make an informed decision as to which unit you wish to be cared for during your pregnancy and the birth of your baby. We hope it will answer questions you have but if you need any more information, please ask your midwife If travelling by car then there is a clearly signposted drop off zone for Delivery suite at the hospital main entrance. There are Pay and display car parks in various sites on the Queen s Medical Centre campus which are clearly signposted, although spaces are limited. Please allow plenty of time before an appointment to find a parking space. Alternatively there is a free bus service between the Queen s Medical Centre campus, the Queens Drive and Wilkinson Street Park and ride car parks and the City Hospital campus. The service runs frequently Monday to Friday and the bus stop can be found at the main entrance. If you prefer travelling by public transport there are frequent buses to the QMC campus from all areas of Nottinghamshire, with stops situated on Derby Road. Patient safety is our number one priority at Nottingham University Hospitals. It is our staff s responsibility to keep you safe but we want you to work with us to protect our mothers and babies from infection. You can do this by always using the available alcohol hand gel each and every time you enter or exit a ward, patient or clinical area. And by asking family or friends to not visit if they are or have recently been ill. Welcome to the Queens Medical Centre. As you come into the main entrance of Queen s Medical Centre there is a main reception desk where staff will be able to give you directions. Out of hours ask at the security desk or turn left, walk down the corridor where you will see Delivery suite on your right and antenatal clinic on your left.
Welcome to Antenatal Clinic. Please report to the reception desk when you arrive at antenatal clinic where staff will direct you to appropriate waiting area. Most pregnancies progress without complications but it is important that you are seen regularly by a midwife or doctor. For some, your care will be given in the community and you are likely only to attend the hospital for your scans if that s the case please report directly to the scan office in Antenatal clinic. You will have the opportunity to watch your scan on a screen located on the wall of the scan room Blood room: To ensure all is well in your pregnancy there are some routine and specific blood tests to be taken, reasons will be explained before any tests and scans are performed. FMM, or the fetal maternal medicine team, take care of women who need extra support because their pregnancy has become complicated. They have their own dedicated team of midwives, doctors and support staff and will often liaises with staff from other specialities. This is the Maternity Assessment Suite. It is in the antenatal clinic and you may be asked to attend here if you and your baby need special monitoring during your pregnancy. Midwives may need to check your blood pressure regularly, perform blood tests or monitor your baby s heart rate using this CTG machine. Parent Education has a purposely designed room on the 1 st floor of the maternity unit at City Hospital campus. The room is light, spacious and very welcoming. All women booked at either of our hospital maternity units can use this service. The room comes equipped with a range of comfortable seating, bean bags, cushions and exercise balls. This well established department offers antenatal workshops covering Active birth, pain management, infant feeding and early parenting. The workshops provide guidance, support and information at times to suit your needs.
The women s health physiotherapists also run workshops providing information on looking after yourself in pregnancy and returning to fitness after birth. All sessions can be booked via the Nottingham University Hospitals internet site at www.nuh.nhs.uk/nuhmaternity, or via booking forms from your midwife or hospital. This is Antenatal Triage and is next to ward B26. You will need to use the intercom system to gain entry. Your doctor or midwife may arrange for you to be seen here during your pregnancy for a number of reasons. It may be because your blood pressure is high, your baby is not moving as much as usual or you have had some bleeding. There are four cubicles where midwives and doctors may carry out tests and examinations on you and your baby. Welcome to the Delivery Suite. When you arrive on the Delivery Suite, you will be shown into one of the rooms where you will be seen by a midwife. Remember to always phone labour suite for advice before coming in. This is one of the rooms where you might give birth to your baby. We encourage you and your birth partner to make the room your own and there is plenty of space for you to move around. For health and safety reasons we would ask you to limit your birthing partners to two people during your time on the labour suite. It is important that you stay as active as you can in labour and we have a variety of equipment to help you do this, including birth balls, beanbags and mats You can continue to be active and use the equipment, even if the midwife is continuously monitoring the baby s heartbeat with a CTG machine like this one or you are being given medicine or fluids through a drip, using one of these devices.
The midwife will regularly check your pulse and blood pressure throughout labour. This is a resusitaire which is sometimes used to help babies who are born prematurely or are having difficulty breathing when they are born. They can be taken out of the room and brought in if needed. They can also be used to transport baby to the neonatal intensive care unit, if required. All rooms have access to showers which can be used at any time during labour or after the birth. There is a bed is every room but you don t have to just lie down on it. It can be adjusted to help you get into the positions you find most comfortable. The beds are electronic and are operated by the key pad on the side of the bed This is the Induction Lounge and is on the Delivery Suite. This is where you and your birth partner would come if your labour needs to be induced. There will be a midwife allocated to look after you and feel free to relax and move around here. Some refreshments are also available. The operating theatre is located in the Delivery Suite and has its own dedicated team of professionals. If your baby is born in the theatre, your baby will stay with you, unless they are unwell and need specialist care. If you are awake during the procedure, one birth partner will be able to accompany you. They will need to change into special theatre clothing. There are changing rooms available but it is best to keep all valuables on your person. This is the recovery area where you will come after your surgery. Here, your midwife will continuously check that you are recovering well. You will be able to have skin-to-skin contact with your baby and the midwife will help and support you with feeding. Welcome to Midwifery Led Care. It is a separate area connected to Delivery Suite by a corridor. If your pregnancy has been straightforward and you have no medical problems, you may be
able to give birth to your baby here. It has its own dedicated team of midwives. This is one of the rooms in Midwifery Led Care. We encourage you to make the room your own and for you and your birth partners to be as comfortable as possible. This is a Combi-Trac available here as well as on the Delivery suite and can be used by you and your birth partner to help you stay active and upright during your labour. Using these positions, you can widen your pelvis, making it easier for your baby to come through it. It can help to make your labour shorter and for you to feel more in control. The combi-trac allows your birth partner to support you and massage your back. You can also give birth on the combi-trac. There are CD players or i-pod docking stations in every room so feel free to bring in your own music. Anything that makes you feel relaxed will help your labour. Aromatherapy is available on the delivery suite and the postnatal wards. All midwives have been trained to use the oils, and blends can be tailored to suit your needs. Your midwife will be able to advise you in how best aromatherapy can help you. There is a birthing pool in Midwifery Led Care. You can give birth in the water or just use the pool in your labour. The pool helps to relieve the pain of contractions and can make you feel calm and relaxed. It also allows you to move around and get into positions that are best for labour and birth. We have floatation aids you can use or you may like to bring in your own. Using the pool means you are less likely to need other forms of pain relief in labour but you can use the gas and air while in the pool. The midwife will regularly monitor your baby s heartbeat while you are in the pool. This is the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and is situated next to the Delivery Suite. It provides specialist care for babies who need it. The highly trained staff monitor babies very closely, often using a variety of machines and equipment. This may seem alarming at
first but the nurses will be happy to explain all the tests and monitoring they are doing. Breastfeeding your baby is the best way you can help them, especially if they are unwell. There are private areas where you can breastfeed or express your milk. Even if your baby is not taking milk straight away it can be frozen and stored until they are ready. There is a family sitting room for you and your family to take some time away from the hustle and bustle of the ward. It s important that you take care of yourself, as well as your baby. There are some lodging rooms available where parents can stay to care for their babies and help with the transition from hospital to home. Babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit are vulnerable and special attention needs to be given to prevent any infections getting onto the ward. For this reason, visiting is restricted and strict hand hygiene is essential. It is very important that anyone who is or has recently been unwell does not come onto the unit. Once your baby has been born, you will usually have two options available to you and your new baby. If you and your baby are both well, you may choose to go straight home from the delivery suite or you may choose to go to one of the postnatal wards, B26 or C29. Here at the Queens Medical Centre, we take the safety of our mothers and babies very seriously. This is why we keep the doors locked and use an intercom system to gain entry. When the ward is very busy, staff may not be able to answer the door immediately. Please be patient as this security measure is there to protect everyone. Do not let anyone follow behind you through any of our secure doors; this includes members of our staff. The wards are made up of four bedded bays and side rooms. For the comfort of everyone, visitors should be limited and only during visiting hours. There are no facilities on the wards for partners to stay overnight. Television and telephones are available at the side of each ward based bed. Cards containing credit for the telephones and televisions can be purchased from the vending machines in the main entrance or on the ward.
This is one of the side rooms which are allocated based on clinical need. Unless you are unable to get out of bed, meals can be taken in the dining room. It is also an area where you can go to relax if you wish to. The Queens Medical Centre offers transitional care to babies on the ward. This means that babies that need extra monitoring can be cared for by their mothers on the ward, with the support of specially trained staff. Staff are on hand to help and support you and your partner as you learn how to care for your new baby. A hearing test is offered to your baby while they are in hospital. If you go home straight after the birth, you can come back to a clinic to get it done. Soon, it will be time to take your baby home Thank you for taking this tour of the Queen s Medical Centre Maternity unit and we look forward to seeing you soon.