Walsall Manor Hospital opens unit for midwives to give newborn babies special care

The Transitional Care Unit will be created next month on Ward 24, in the Foxglove Ward, staffed by eight midwives.

It will cater for newborns who do not require admission to the neonatal unit, who may have been born prematurely, had a low birth rate or have a condition which affects their temperature and ability to feed.

The facility will mean mothers can spend longer with their babies as they receive extra support.

Some cases could be dealt with in as little as 48 hours while others may require a 10-day stay if the babies develop an infection.

Rachel Overfield, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Director of Nursing, said: "Most trusts have a Transitional Care Unit and it has long been recognised that we have a gap in this type of provision in Walsall.

"Our staff have worked creatively to come up with the best place to house this unit and ensure it is staffed adequately, using the existing space we have.

"It will be staffed by eight of our existing midwives who want to develop their skills and knowledge further in this area of care and we're looking forward to opening it up in February.

"It is so important for new mums to be given as much opportunity as possible to bond with their babies and even more so if those babies have additional care needs.

"Keeping mum and baby together is extremely important and the Transitional Care Unit is a positive addition to our maternity services."

Emma Rawling, a midwife of three years, said: "The unit will help us to reduce separation rates for Walsall mums and their babies at what is a very special time and it will also help to reduce some of the pressures on our neonatal unit."

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust has a cap limiting births at the Manor to 4,200 a year until 2018.

It was imposed last March after nearly 5,000 babies were delivered in 12 months.