Maternity care praised ahead of unit’s opening
AHEXHAM mum has paid tribute to “second-to-none” maternity care at the town’s general hospital ahead of the opening of a revamped maternity unit there.
Tori Rutherford gave birth to all three of her children at the hospital, and said that despite suffering from a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum during pregnancy, staff there made sure she always felt at ease.
Three local mums, including Tori, will be joining hospital bosses and staff from the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust at an official opening for the modernised unit tomorrow.
Revamped maternity facilities – including a new birthing pool, new delivery rooms and a en-suite bedrooms for new mums – form part of a £15m upgrade plan at Hexham General. Ahead of the opening, Tori spoke of her own experience and her hopes for the new unit.
She said: “I gave birth at Hexham in 2015, 2018 and 2022 and cannot rate the service I received highly enough. The familiarity of the team when entering the unit immediately makes you feel at ease.
“I was lucky enough to have the same amazing Community Midwife, Kathryn, for all three pregnancies and I was incredibly thankful that she delivered our third baby.
“I suffered with hyperemesis gravidarum and always felt hugely supported by the team. The facilities are great and the post-natal care, particularly breastfeeding support, is second to none.
“The entire team go above and beyond – nothing is too much bother and the help is always there. I think this new unit will enable the team to continue to provide a five-star maternity service, and I hope the new space welcomes many new lives in the years to come.”
Marion Dickson, the trust’s executive director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals, said: “This new and improved unit gives pregnant people across Hexham who choose to deliver at their local hospital a calm and relaxing place to do so. We know that getting the environment right directly correlates with a positive birthing experience and we are really proud of this space we have created – we can’t wait to open it up to our patients.
“Tori’s story is a great example of the commitment of our midwifery teams, who work incredibly hard to build relationships with expectant mothers in a time of new beginnings. These experiences shape lives and our midwives see it as a privilege to care for women at these formative times.”
The investment programme at Hexham will also see a new purposebuilt endoscopy unit and an expansion of the surgical theatres on-site, aiding the national NHS push to deal with surgery backlogs. Across the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust, bosses are spending £326m to transform facilities, boost capacity and keep waiting lists down.
Upgrades are also taking place at Wansbeck General in Ashington and North Tyneside General.