The Maternity Assessment Unit
The Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU) provides additional care and assessment for women from 16 weeks pregnant to 6 weeks after birth. You may call the unit’s emergency telephone number at any time during your pregnancy to discuss problems or receive advice.
24 Hour Helpline Number (01782 672300)
You will be asked various questions about your pregnancy and symptoms to enable us to establish the best place to assess and treat you. You may be advised to attend the unit if we think you have a problem which needs attention from a midwife or an obstetrician. You could also be referred to the unit by your midwife GP or Antenatal Clinic.
Please have your hospital number available so that the midwife can access your medical notes electronically.
Your community midwife will give you this at your first booking appointment.
Triage
The MAU operates a triage system. This enables midwives to assess your condition and ensure that care and treatment is given in a timely manner.
The triage system consists of a 3 tier system of:
- Midwifery Triage ( assess the condition that you have attended with)
- Midwifery Assessment ( perform the relevant investigations required)
- Medical Assessment (review by a doctor if this is required).
In Triage the midwife will discuss the concerns that you have attended with.
She will also perform an antenatal examination, including listening to your baby’s heart rate (If required) and discuss your baby’s movement pattern.
Once your symptoms have been assessed you will be allocated a waiting time.
These are:
Priority 1 (Red) Seen immediately
Priority 2 (Orange) Seen within 15 minutes
Priority 3 (Yellow) Seen within 1 hour
Priority 4 (Green) Seen within 4 hours
Once triaged you may be asked to sit in the waiting area until further assessments can be completed.
We aim to keep to the above waiting times, however MAU is a busy area and these times may differ. Some delays unfortunately are inevitable.
We understand that visiting Triage may be stressful time and we are continuously trying to keep waiting times to a minimum.
Refreshments
There are various places within the hospital site that refreshments can be brought, and there are also vending machines. Please ask staff for the location of these places and they will happily direct you.
There is a water cooler situated within the department.
If you prefer you could bring your own light refreshments.
We aim to ensure that any visits to MAU are timely and as stress free as possible. Please speak to a member of staff if you have any concerns
Useful Contact Numbers
Antenatal Clinic 672112
Delivery Suite 672333
Ward 205 672205
Ward 206 672206
Ultrasound Scan Department 672158
Covid 19
If for any reason you need to visit MAU, please wear a mask and use the hand sanitiser situated in main reception and again when entering the department.
To try and reduce the spread of Covid 19 you will be asked to attend alone. Please tell staff if you or any of your household have any symptoms of Covid 19. Please inform staff if you have been self-isolating so that you can receive care in the most appropriate area.