Lois Mortimer, Senior Midwife for inpatient services at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in one of the new chairs
Partners can now stay overnight to support mums-to-be, new mums and their babies thanks to a delivery of new reclining chairs to the Women’s Unit at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW).
The new chairs were funded through donations to Cardiff and Vale Health Charity’s Make It Better Fund, in response to feedback received in the “Two minutes of your time” patient surveys.
Patients frequently commented that they would have liked it if their partner could have stayed with them to provide emotional and physical support during such an important time in their lives.
The maternity team used the donations to buy reclining chairs for use on the ward so that partners could stay over.
Lois Mortimer, Senior Midwife for inpatient services at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) said: “Patients frequently fed back to us that they found it difficult coming into hospital to have a baby because their partners couldn’t stay with them overnight.
“Patients can be with us on the ward for just a few days or it can be a week or more.
“Quite often patients felt like they needed that extra support during induction of labour and on the first day that the baby was born.
“In response to these comments we put in a bid to the Charitable Bids Committee for some reclining chairs and we were successful.
“We have recently received a delivery of 24 chairs, which are now placed by beds in as many places as we can, and we’re encouraging partners to use them to stay and support their new family.”
Suzanne Hardacre, Head of Midwifery at Cardiff and Vale UHB said: “Having a new baby is a special experience for both parents and many new mums felt they needed a little extra support at night.
“By staying overnight partners become involved in their babies’ care right from the start and also support their partner, which can really help, particularly if they are tired or not very mobile after the birth.
“We’ve had a great response to the new chairs.”
Mike Jones, Chair of the Make It Better/Staff Lottery Panel, said: “A huge thank you to the donors to Cardiff and Vale Health Charity who made this project possible; every penny you donate really does benefit our patients, over and above what the NHS can provide.”
“I’d like to send our best wishes to all the new families cared for at UHW”
