Our new maternity unit is designed to give women more choice, with improved care in better surroundings.
How will the changes to the maternity unit benefit patients and staff?
- Women will have more choice in how their baby is born
- Improved surroundings will improve patients experience and create a better environment for staff
- By caring for our patients on one site our staff will gain more experience which will help improve the quality of care
Our new maternity unit includes:
- Consultant-led unit
- Midwife-led unit
- Day assessment unit
- Upgraded neonatal unit
- Birthing pools
- Newly configured dedicated theatres
Find out more about the changes in our maternity services newsletter
Key dates:
March 2009 – Full business case approved by our Trust and the Primary Care Trust (PCT) Boards. It was then submitted to the Strategic Health Authority (SHA) for approval. The full business case outlined the reasons why this development was needed, how it will improve patient service and detailed the clinical, operational and financial benefits.
July 2009 - Stevenage Borough Council’s planning and development committee approved the site master planning application, including the expansion of our maternity services on the Lister Hospital site.
August 2009 – Final approval for our full business case was given by NHS East of England (formerly known as the SHA), as planning approval had been given by Stevenage Borough Council.
Our executive summary of the business case.
September 2009 - Building work started on the 7 September 2009.
December 2010 – The first phase of the new maternity unit opened and we moved neonatal, theatres, delivery suite, and administration into the new building.
September 2011 – Neonatal and theatres moved out of the new maternity unit into their reconfigured area. The new maternity building will be slightly adapted to create the new consultant-led and midwifery-led units.
October 2011 – The second and final phase of the new maternity building opened to patients with the consolidation of all birthing and gynae services currently provided from the QEII Hospital to Lister Hospital. Outpatient services remain unchanged at the QEII, Hertford County Hospital, community services and at the Lister.
