New maternity service to be based at Newtown Hospital
A new maternity service for women in Montgomeryshire is to be launched at Newtown Hospital, with a financial boost from pupils at a local school who have donated £6,500 towards a fetal heart rate monitor.
Powys Teaching Health Board maternity services are launching the new service for women in the area to access some of their maternity day assessment and ultrasound scanning needs without the need to travel to a district general hospital.
The fetal heart rate monitor has been donated as part of £6,500 raised by pupils at the Focus School at Sarn, near Newtown.
Marie Lewis, Practice Development Midwife at Powys Teaching Health Board said: “We have appointed two full time midwife sonographers. These are trained midwives who also have additional skills in diagnostic imaging. They will be working across Powys to provide essential scans to women within the new Day Assessment Units in Newtown and Llandrindod Wells. The service will include scans, antenatal care and specific monitoring to ensure the wellbeing of unborn babies.”
Donna Owen, Lead Midwife, Newtown Maternity Unit said: “Through this new service we will be able to reduce travel and inconvenience for mums and families who need further diagnostic investigation.
“The day assessment unit in Newtown has received a great level of support from the local community and we would specially like to thank Focus School, Sarn for their fundraising of £6,500 that enabled us to purchase an electronic fetal heart rate monitor.
“The heart rate monitor will enable our team to offer monitoring of the unborn baby to women whose babies are identified as needing further investigation. This will help us to identify babies that are unwell and require prompt referral to obstetric care.”
The money was raised by pupils who attend the school from communities in ad around Newtown, Abermule, Kerry, Hodley, Llandyssil and Sarn.
The service will be available in Newtown by March 2017 once adaptations to the Newtown Birth Centre have been completed. The Health Board plans to continue to develop the new service over the next four years so that even more tests and are monitoring available within Powys.
Mrs Sharan Matharu, Head Teacher of the Focus School, said: “Our pupils learn from an early age about the importance of helping others in their community and we have a strong ethos when it comes to fundraising.
“Being able to contribute towards such an important piece of medical equipment for the new maternity services at Newtown Hospital will ensure many people from throughout the community in this part of north Powys benefit as a result.
Photo: Focus School students Chiquita Devenish (left) and Lee Simpson (right) with Alice Hammond, Midwife Sonographer, Powys Teaching Health Board, and Dr Marie Lewis (Practice Development Midwife from Powys Teaching Health Board.
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