New maternity unit to be built at Barrow hospital

The brand new unit will be split over two floors and will include 14 en-suite birthing rooms, two dedicated theatres, a special care baby unit, maternity assessment, and a bereavement suite.

The plans for the unit, developed in collaboration with staff, service users and members of the public, were approved at the meeting of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust’s board on Wednesday morning. 

Jackie Daniel, chief executive at UHMBT, said: “We are very pleased to have approved the plans for a brand new maternity unit at Furness General Hospital, and we don’t underestimate what this will mean to local people who are nothing but passionate about their local hospital.

"It is a real signal of intent I believe as to our trust’s commitment and desire to provide the very best services for the people of Barrow and surrounding areas.

“The current maternity unit at FGH has been there since the hospital opened in 1984, and as you would expect of a unit which has been there for over 30 years, clinical practice and technology have moved on at pace and the building now needs to be significantly improved to match it. 

"Whilst we have had the redevelopment of the unit in our estates strategy for a while, the recommendation within the Kirkup Report for us to improve the physical environment of the labour ward has assisted in speeding up the delivery of these plans.

“The best thing about these plans is that they were co-designed with staff, those that use our services, and the general public. 

"Rather than just decide what we thought the unit should look like, we involved various different groups right from the beginning to allow us to understand what local women and families wanted from a new unit and what was important to them, and also hear from staff about what they need in order to do their job to the highest possible standard.

“This has resulted in plans that we truly believe will transform maternity services at FGH.”

Pearse Butler, chairman of UHMBT, said: “This new unit is fantastic news for everyone, and will help us not only show our commitment to maternity services in the Barrow area, but also help to resolve concerns from our regulators around the environment of the current unit and the journey down a public corridor to theatres.

“On behalf of the trust, I’d like to thank everyone who gave their feedback and suggestions whilst we were putting our plans together - from staff who attended workshops, service users who got involved in engagement sessions, and members of the public who attended our public engagement events and had their say.”

The new unit will be built in line with current Health Building Guidance, which provides best practice direction on the design and planning of new healthcare  buildings. 

It will be built adjacent to the current antenatal and gynaecology clinic at the hospital, subject to planning permission.

David Walker, medical director at UHMBT, said: “We publicly committed to implementing all of the recommendations in the Kirkup Report, and as such, committed to making sure women and families who choose to have their babies at Furness General Hospital do so in a modern, safe and comfortable environment.

“This announcement is much more than just ticking the box for us though. 

"Rather than just refurbish the current unit and move things around, we have opted for a brand new, state of the art building. 

"That is because we believe that local people deserve the best possible maternity unit in Barrow, and our staff deserve to work in the best possible environment.”

Subject to planning permission, work will start on-site at the hospital in late September 2016, with completion planned for November or December 2017.

Dr Mandy Boardman, clinical GP lead with the Children and Safeguarding, Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The proposal for a new maternity unit at FGH is fantastic news for the women and their families of Barrow and the surrounding

area.”

Lesley Bennett, a Barrow mum from Barrow who was involved in the design of the new unit, said: “I am absolutely thrilled and excited by the new maternity unit and what it will mean for the women of the Furness area and their families.

“Since before the Kirkup report was published, myself and other families have been working very closely with the trust, especially Sascha Wells and Sue Smith, on different projects to improve maternity services across the Bay, and this is what we had hoped for from the beginning.

“The layout of the new maternity unit means there will now be a bereavement suite at the centre, and the trust and architects have taken on board everything we said about what this needed to be and more. 

"It is situated in the centre of the unit like it is being wrapped in love and support and protecting its occupants without being overlooked. 

"It has its own entrance away from public gaze, giving privacy and support in equal measures.

“The facilities in this new maternity unit means the trust and the community can move forward in a positive way and set the standards for maternity care across the country, especially with the new clinical skills lab.

“It has been a privilege to be part of this step forward with the trust, and I look forward to working with them closely in the future, setting high standards of  maternity care across the whole NHS.”

Maternity services will continue to be delivered out of the current unit until the new unit is built and handed over to the trust. 

Once the new unit is completed, the current unit will then be available for the expansion of other services as identified in the trust’s estates strategy.

Sue Smith, executive chief nurse at UHMBT, said: “I am delighted that these plans have been approved. 

"The new unit will not only be a vast improvement for local mums and their families, but also be a much nicer environment for our staff to work in.

“We have arranged for a special ‘drop-in’ event to take place on Thursday 14 April, from 3pm - 7pm, in the Lonsdale Restaurant at Furness General Hospital. 

"This is to give staff, members of the public, and stakeholders the opportunity to come and look at the plans in more detail and talk directly to clinical and estates staff who will be happy to answer any questions.”

Regular updates on progress with the new unit will also be shared in a variety of different ways, for example: a weekly photograph update on social media and trust websites, issuing a monthly update, and a dedicated web page on the trust’s

website at www.uhmb.nhs.uk.