11th June 2009
Antenatal Day Assessment unit sees its 100,000th patient
Staff at the antenatal day assessment unit at St John’s hospital recently celebrated its sixth birthday by treating the 100,000th patient.
36 year old Louise Billia from Brentwood was the unit’s 100,000th patient. Louise, who is 37 weeks pregnant with her second baby, has been attending the unit for several weeks as she has a reduced amount of liquid around her baby which means she needed to be regularly monitored to ensure the baby was healthy. Louise said:” Even though I live in Brentwood I chose to come to St John’s for my treatment as I had my first baby here and the care was so good. The staff have been fantastic and have taken away any nervousness that I had about my pregnancy. I was surprised to be told I was the 100,000th patient, but am delighted to have been part of the celebrations for this great unit.”
The unit, which is open seven days a week, treats women who have problems with their pregnancy including raised blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension, abdominal pain and urinary tract infections. The unit also carries out low risk inductions for pregnant women and sees ladies who have premature rupture of membranes before 37 weeks gestation and ladies with spontaneous rupture after 37 weeks who are not in labour. The unit also treats ladies who are having twins. The unit was the brainchild of senior midwife, Elizabeth Millican and two of her colleagues – Paula Hollis and Hayley Hume.
Elizabeth said:” I have seen the day assessment unit evolve from a thought into a reality. It came about as an idea as part of a management of change project for a degree. It took three years to implement and get the unit up and running. I am so pleased that the service has gone from strength to strength since it has been open and that we have just treated our100, 000th patient.”
Women attending the unit can be monitored or treated and then go home the same day, rather than having to stay in hospital. As well as women being referred to the unit by the GP, community midwife or consultant they can also self refer. There is a triage service at the unit where all new patients are initially assessed.
Elizabeth adds:” When the unit first opened in 2003 we saw 11 ladies in the first week, now we seen average 30 ladies per day in the unit and triage, not counting at least four low risk inductions a day. The number of staff on the unit has also grown as we now have three midwives here in the morning and two in the afternoon. Earlier this year we appointed a consultant especially for the unit, Miss Joshi.”
The next development for the unit will be its move to the new PFI hospital at Broomfield in 2010.
ENDS
Media contact : Jo Triggs tel: (01245) 514235 | Mobile : 0790 005 4948
Powered by EasySite™