THE laying of foundations for a long awaited, state-of-the-art maternity unit is finally under way at Barrow's Furness General Hospital.

The move is a significant milestone in the transformation of maternity care across the area – with the first babies expected to be born within the bespoke £11m centre by Christmas 2017.

But the care experienced by pregnant women and their families across south Cumbria is already unrecognisable from just a few years ago and is acknowledged as leading the way nationally to ensure the services provided match what women across the area actually want.

The person at the helm of efforts to revolutionise the experience women have during and after their pregnancies, is Sascha Wells, maternity director at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust. She said new ways of working were already embedded within FGH's maternity department: "The new unit is fantastic and it's something we've wanted for 20 years.

"But bricks and mortar won't change culture and attitudes so those improvements started several years ago and are already making a huge difference. And there's more to come."

At the heart of the changes, Mrs Wells explains, are women and their families.

After hosting a series of engagement events and workshops in Barrow and across south Cumbria, it became clear there was a gap between what maternity services were available in the area and what women wanted.

The result was to use the feedback to tailor services to what patients want – and to involve them as much as possible in the changes.

So far, this has resulted in parents from Barrow helping to write advice leaflets and job descriptions for posts within the maternity department, shortlisting candidates for interviews and even sitting on the interview panel.

The trust now has dedicated bereavement midwives to offer support and expert help to anyone who suffers a tragedy during their pregnancy.

It is also in the process of recruiting two safe active birth midwives who will ensure mothers who are deemed high risk can still have the childbirth experience they hope for.

And work is under way to establish a process for women to liaise with one midwife throughout their pregnancy in a bid to establish a solid relationship and build trust during their nine-month journey.

Mrs Wells added: "One of the biggest issues that cropped up when we listened to women and their families was communication.

"We need to think about what we say and how we say it – and also about what we don't say that we should.

"This is something that is really important, always treating people as we would want to be treated ourselves and learning from the experiences people share with us.

"We won't always get it right, but if things do go wrong we will be open about that and work with families to get the resolution they want."

With construction under way on the new maternity unit, a modern facility is now set to follow the service improvements women are already enjoying the benefits of.

When finished it will have 14 en suite rooms, each with a birthing pool, two dedicated operating theatres, a special care baby unit and a bereavement suite and garden.

There will also be a training and simulation room to allow advanced situational learning for staff – something traditionally the preserve of large city hospitals.

Mrs Wells said: "We are really, really pleased to be able to implement the changes that the community wants.

"This is their service. We want them to be empowered to have the experience they want and deserve."