Newborn at Newham
The clinical governance whiteboard in the staff office listed the latest risks and complaints - prominent among which were “lack of care” and “staff attitude.” Yet stuck on the wall below them were half a dozen colourful cards carrying thanks and tributes from grateful families.
“I find myself lost for words, and overwhelmed with gratitude, as I reflect on my wife’s delivery and the quite exceptional care she received,” wrote one proud new father.
That corner of Larch postnatal ward at Newham hospital captured how a modern maternity service is both highly regulated yet also highly rewarding. “It is quite stressful,” duty midwife Joanna told Board members on a visit recently.
“There are ups and downs, the ladies get frustrated, and we have to keep on reassuring them - you have to do a lot of talking.” She smiled. “But it’s worth it because you are introducing new life into the world.”
Following recent national inquiries the NHS is imposing yet more requirements on maternity services, though many of the recommendations are already in place in our hospitals. “There is nothing new in any reports that come out that we do not know,” said Temi, the midwife in charge of triage.
The challenge our teams face is that the extra ask is compounded by patients having more complex caring needs and families having higher expectations of experience.
That calls for flexibility, resilience and compassion. Offering anxious women food and drink, regularly inquiring after their wellbeing while waiting, and listening to them is often as important as clinical treatment.
Jo Keable, assistant director of midwifery, recalled how she switched from chairing a meeting with the postnatal team to delivering a baby boy in the atrium of the triage unit after hearing a mother unexpectedly go into the second stage of labour.
As Jo spoke, cries came from a cubicle. After checking, she said: “This lady is making a noise but she is safe. Those who don’t make a noise can be at higher risk.“
The Newham maternity unit gets over 1,000 visitors a month and aims to assess walk-ins within 15 minutes, just like any emergency department. After revamping the triage space and setting up a telephone hotline it doubled the proportion of attendees meeting the target, though still lags behind our other hospitals on this measure.