We are making it easier for you to access our maternity service whilst you are pregnant and have any concerns about you or your baby.
A new number – 03033 306657 – is launching on Monday 31 October. It is for anyone who has medical concerns in pregnancy from 16 weeks onwards.
Examples of this are:
- Spotting or light bleeding
- Sharp or continual abdominal pain
- Persistent severe headache
- Constant vomiting
- Itching, especially on hands and feet
- Swelling in face, hands or legs
- Pelvic pain
- Leaking fluid
- Blurred vision and seeing spots
- Painful urination
- Baby’s movements slow down or pattern changes
- Contractions or cramps
- High temperature.
You can find out more information about these medical concerns on the Tommy’s website.
Maternity triage provides you with individualised advice and assessment. It will be available for you to access 24 hours, seven days a week for Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Goole. You will speak directly to a midwife who will be able to discuss your concerns and refer/make a plan of action as necessary.
Please note – the call may result in either self-care/review or signposting to alternative care providers. If you have a medical concern, it’s important to get in touch so we can help you with this. Out of hours, you should contact the maternity team you are under as normal. If it’s urgent, please ring an ambulance, call NHS 111 or attend A&E.
Within the maternity units, it has been identified that there is a need to make a change on how we assess medical needs via the telephone. We listened to feedback from you and that is why we have introduced this new system called MATS (Maternity Assessment and Triage Service).
Yvonne Birtles, Labour Team Coordinator, said: “We have listened to what you want. We know that in the past, it’s been confusing and people haven’t known where to turn to. Now there’s just one number, regardless of which team or hospital you are under. Calls will be answered by an experienced midwife, whose sole focus is to triage that call uninterrupted and provide clear and consistent advice.
“By introducing this service, we are making sure assessments are always effective, timely, standardised, midwife-led, recordable, auditable and they signpost you to the appropriate caregiver. The new service will make sure that differences in treatment and outcomes is reduced.
“We are following a recommendation from the Ockenden Maternity Review and feedback from our staff. We have also taken into account increased unit workloads and increased complexities.”
This is phase one of improving the service. Keep an eye out for more changes in the future!