The Maternity Triage is an assessment area which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week from 16 weeks of your pregnancy, up until six weeks following the birth of your baby.
Please call the unit to discuss any concerns and we will advise you if you need to attend the Unit. Please have your Badgernotes available, if possible, when you call.
If you are less than 16 weeks pregnant and have a concern regarding your pregnancy, then please contact the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit.
Please note: We are unable to see babies who are unwell in the Maternity Triage. If you have a concern regarding your newborn baby that cannot be addressed by your community midwife or GP, then you will need to take your baby to A&E.
There is a dedicated Maternity Triage phone line for immediate pregnancy concerns and there can sometimes be a small wait whilst you are held in a queue. If whilst you are waiting you are experiencing severe continuous pain, are bleeding heavily or are severely unwell then please hang up and dial 999. Please do not use this line for general enquiries or for chasing results.
Contact Maternity Triage: 01253 956820 (select option 2).
- Reduced fetal movements - Feeling movements is a sign of your baby’s wellbeing. From around 24 weeks pregnant you should start to notice your baby’s pattern of movements becomes more consistent. If you are concerned the pattern has changed at any time during your pregnancy, please do not wait and call the Maternity Triage department immediately.
It is very important you contact with ANY change to your baby’s movement. This might be no movements at all, fewer movements than normal or the movements feel slower or more gentle than usual.
It’s important that you have the confidence to call immediately. We no longer recommend lying on your side or drinking water or sugary drinks to encourage your baby to move. As soon as you notice the change in movements, call Maternity Triage.
- Your waters breaking - This is common during or shortly before the start of labour. Some women will find it obvious when the waters have broken, and some will be less sure. If you are not sure, then please call Maternity Triage and we can advise you on what to do over the phone.
- Vaginal bleeding - Please call Maternity Triage immediately for advice. Fresh red bleeding, no matter how small, is not normal. If you are at all unsure please contact Maternity Triage and we can advise you over the phone.
- Abdominal pain - Certain types of abdominal discomfort can be normal in pregnancy for example, Braxton Hicks or pelvic pain. If you feel there is pain in your abdomen that isn’t normal or hasn’t improved with simple pain relief and time please call Maternity Triage and we can advise you over the phone.
Please also call Maternity Triage if you experience any of the following:
- Headaches and visual disturbances,
- Postnatal concerns - wound care, raised blood pressure, fever, heavy bleeding, feeling unwell with flu-like symptoms, excessive pain or concerns about your perineal stitches or caesarean section (C-Section) wound,
- Itching on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet.
Please consider using some of the following services if you have a concern that is not related to your pregnancy:
- GP – Your GP can be accessed for a range of non-urgent services. You should see your GP for advice as they are better placed to help with these problems. For example, chest/urine/ear infection, skin complaints etc.
- Walk in Centre – If your GP is closed or you cannot get an appointment then you can visit a Walk in Centre. You can visit a Walk in Centre for any general illness or concern for which you may have visited your GP. Walk in Centre’s can be accessed by anyone and have more flexible opening hour
If you are attending with an urgent concern, we aim to see you for an initial triage appointment with 30 minutes of arrival to carry out an assessment. You will be asked to take a seat in the initial triage waiting area until you have been assessed.
Your assessment will be completed by a midwife in a Triage room and will give you the opportunity to discuss your concerns whilst providing further information such as your past medical and pregnancy history. A full set of observations including blood pressure, heart rate and temperature will be performed, and you will be asked to provide a urine sample.
From this initial assessment and the information, you provide, the midwife will assign you a colour coded urgency which ensures women are prioritised on the clinical need and immediate subsequent care, rather than the time they arrived.
This makes sure the women and babies who need our help the most are seen first. You may see women who arrived after you being seen before you; this may mean that they need help more urgently.
- Red – Emergency – You will be seen and treated immediately
- Orange – Urgent – You should be seen within 15 minutes
- Yellow – Moderate – You should be seen within 1 hour
- Green – Non-Urgent – You should expect to be seen within 4 hours
The process that we use is similar to Accident and Emergency.
During busy periods, waiting times may be increased. Some reasons for delay may be due to availability of doctors, availability of rooms on Maternity Triage and may be due to midwifery staffing levels.
We appreciate that visiting Maternity Triage may be a stressful time for you and your family. We also understand that waiting can be frustrating and so we do our best to keep waiting times to a minimum. Your patience is very much appreciated as we aim to see everyone as soon as possible.
We recommend that you bring a drink and light refreshment in anticipation of any delays which may occur. Staff can advise you of the nearest place to purchase food and drinks. Fresh water is available in the main waiting area.
