Maternity

Our maternity services are based at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. We have one of the biggest maternity units in the UK.

Our whole maternity team is here to support you throughout your pregnancy, birth and beyond. We always aim to provide care that is tailored to suit your individual needs.

Our maternity services

We have a range of services available to help us work with you to plan your care and our highly trained staff work together to ensure that we provide this care to the highest standards.

Urgent care

The maternity assessment unit is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Trust your instincts. If something doesn’t seem right, seek advice.

Please do not wait to contact us on:

Telephone: 0191 282 5748.

Please call the maternity assessment unit if ;

Your baby isn’t moving as much as it usually does
You experience spotting or bleeding from the vagina
Your pregnancy is high risk and/or you are less than 37+0 weeks and you think your membranes may have ruptured (waters breaking)
If you have one or more of the following symptoms
- severe swelling to the face and hands
- persistent headaches that don’t go away with paracetamol
- blurred vision or you are seeing spots
- itching to your hands, feet or bump
- a high temperature or you feel hot, cold, achy or shivery
You are experiencing persistent vomiting that is leaving you unable to eat or drink
You have any sharp or continuous abdominal pain or you have had a considerable knock to your bump
If you are having a high risk pregnancy and think you might be in labour

If you are having a low risk pregnancy, you are over 37+0 weeks and think your membranes have ruptured (waters have broken), or if you think you might be in labour, call the labour line on:

Telephone: 0191 282 6363.

If you have a general enquiry about your pregnancy, please call your community midwife or your GP who will be able to signpost you to the best advice.

You can call the maternity assessment unit even if you’re unsure of who to contact. We can direct you to the best advice and are always happy to speak to you.

BadgerNet

Newcastle Hospitals’ maternity services now use the electronic patient record system, BadgerNet, and the Badger Notes app.

BadgerNet Maternity and Badger Notes are fully digital pregnancy records, allowing you real-time access to your maternity records and personalised care plan, anywhere, at any time.

A single electronic record means you;

– do not need to remember and take paper-based notes to every appointment

– can easily view upcoming appointments, access up-to-date pregnancy information and reading

– no longer need to repeat your story when speaking to different healthcare providers

– can provide access to your partner/support network, if you wish

All of your information is held securely and cannot be accessed without the appropriate log-in details (similar to internet banking).

The Badger Notes app can be downloaded on Apple and Android mobile devices.

To find out how you can log into Badger Notes and access your maternity record, please speak to your midwife. You can also email the Newcastle Hospitals BadgerNet Maternity team for support with accessing your Badger Notes once you have an account created.

COVID-19

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made a number of changes to the way people access our services. You can find out more here.

These guidelines are reviewed regularly to make sure we can continue to provide you with the safest and most effective care.

We appreciate that a pregnancy is often a family event. Our team are doing everything they can to support your family to be a part of the journey with you, whilst keeping those using our services and our staff safe. We understand that this is a challenging time for all and we want to let you know we are still here for you and we want you to talk to us.

Accessing care is now more important than ever. If you have any concerns or queries, please contact the maternity assessment unit, your community midwife or GP.