Trust Welcomes New Maternity Services
06.04.11
The Trust has extended a warm welcome to the community midwives covering Stroud and the Forest of Dean and Stroud Maternity Unit, following their transfer from Gloucestershire Care Services.
Maternity services across Gloucestershire are now all being provided centrally by the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with the aim of providing a fully integrated service for women throughout their pregnancy and birth.
Dr Frank Harsent, Chief Executive of the Trust and Maggie Arnold, Director of Nursing and Midwifery, visited Stroud Maternity Unit in April.
Dr Harsent said: “The midwifery-led care at Stroud Maternity Unit complements the new Women’s Centre in Gloucester and, alongside the midwifery-led care at the Cheltenham unit and home births, provides women in the county with a choice as to how and where they can have their baby.
“The community midwives in Stroud and the Forest of Dean will join community midwives covering the rest of the county to provide a fully integrated service supporting women throughout their pregnancy.
“By managing all maternity services in the county together we can provide a comprehensive, professional service which will benefit the staff working in maternity services and local women and their families.”
Jan Stubbings, Chief Executive of NHS Gloucestershire, said: “As the commissioner of services, NHS Gloucestershire is clear that Stroud Maternity Unit has an active and vibrant future, providing a local service to the community.
“Maternity services in Stroud and the Forest of Dean have a dedicated and professional workforce and they provide excellent and highly valued midwifery-led care to local people. We do not anticipate this changing as a result of this change of management.”
Michelle Poole, Stroud Maternity Unit’s Head of Midwifery, said: “The integration of maternity services into the hospitals trust provides us with a great opportunity to further strengthen midwifery-led care across the county and promote seamless maternity care for the women of Gloucestershire.”