Hampshire Hospitals celebrates International Day of the Midwife
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is today celebrating International Day of the Midwife, recognising the invaluable care midwives provide to women and their babies.
Although the celebrations are different this year as teams across the hospitals go above and beyond to keep their patients safe in the current pandemic, staff are taking a moment to celebrate the 378 team members working in maternity services across the trust, including 240 midwives.
The team helped to bring 5,039 babies into the world in the last year at the trust’s hospitals in Andover, Basingstoke and Winchester, as well as in the community.
Jo Fairhurst, a midwife at Hampshire Hospitals, knows the importance of the care and compassion the team provide.
After training as a nurse and working in intensive care, Jo fell pregnant but sadly lost her baby, Daniel. Her experience reintroduced her to the world of midwifery and after returning to work, Jo retrained and qualified as a midwife in 1993, after the difference her own midwife had made helping her to get through such a difficult time.
Jo said: “Being a midwife is a privilege – I often say that when I help women at any stage of their pregnancy I’m not coming into work. Losing Daniel was one of the hardest things I have been through, but I have a lot to thank him for as it opened my eyes to a different part of healthcare, and means I can now help other women.
“The whole team is just brilliant and I feel really lucky to work alongside them all, making a difference to women’s lives. We all become nurses and midwives because we want to help people, and I see that in my colleagues every day.”
Julie Dawes, chief nurse at Hampshire Hospitals, said: “Our midwives and entire maternity team play such an important role not only in our hospitals, but in the lives of women and their families, providing expert care and support at some of the most special times in their lives.
“In the current situation our teams are faced with a new set of challenges, but they are going above and beyond to ensure that the women we care for continue to receive the same outstanding care as they bring their little ones into the world, even as the world outside continues to change.
“We are incredibly grateful for all that they do all year round, and are pausing today to say a special thank you to each and every member of our remarkable team.”
Hampshire Hospitals is using this day to remind pregnant women of the importance of contacting their midwife or maternity team if they are worried about their health or the health of their unborn baby during the current situation.
Kayleigh Lee is seven months pregnant with her second child, after having her daughter Sophia at Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester three years ago, and has needed to visit hospital three times during the pandemic. On International Day of the Midwife she is encouraging other women to make sure they continue to get help and come to hospital when needed.
She said: “The care I’ve received during each of these visits has been fantastic, thorough and completely reassuring. The staff are doing a fantastic job and I felt completely at ease. Precautions are being taken and I know I’m being looked after in the best way.
“The only clue that things are different this time around is that the staff are wearing personal protective equipment and even then you can tell they are smiling behind the masks! I wouldn’t hesitate or think twice about picking up the phone if I thought something might be wrong, and I hope other women do the same – the staff are still here to look after you.”
Kayleigh wanted to say a big thank you to the midwives who have looked after her. She added: “They are there for you at such an important time – it’s more than just a job, it’s who they are. I’m incredibly grateful to them all, and when we clap on a Thursday night we’re not only clapping for the staff who are looking after Coronavirus patients, but every member of NHS staff who is doing something amazing every day.”
The maternity team at Hampshire Hospitals are working hard to ensure women and their babies continue to receive the best possible care in the current situation. To minimise the risk to all patients, women who are well and require antenatal ultrasound services are being asked to attend appointments at the trust’s hospital in Andover.
RNLI plans 70 lifeguarded beaches this summer
Despite the challenges of the coronavirus outbreak, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) hopes to provide a lifeguard service on around 30% of the beaches the charity usually covers this summer, if government guidance allows.
Rollout of the normal seasonal lifeguard service was paused at the end of March due to the measures put in place by the UK Government to control the spread of Coronavirus. In the anticipation that there may be changes to the lockdown restrictions in the coming weeks and months allowing the public to visit beaches around the UK and Channel Islands, the RNLI has been looking at plans to resume a lifeguard service where possible.
This needs to be consistent with government guidance but the plan is for the service to build in time so that lifeguard patrols reach 70 beaches by peak season. Beaches will be chosen based on risk and popularity. The RNLI will also look to achieve a geographical spread while making sure the service provided is flexible and sustainable enough to respond to what may be an ever-changing environment.
RNLI Chief Executive, Mark Dowie, said:
‘The RNLI is incredibly proud of its highly skilled lifeguards who work alongside the charity’s volunteer lifeboat crews, HM Coastguard and other emergency services. RNLI lifeguards are professional lifesavers and will be essential when the lockdown is lifted and people head to our coastlines and enjoy our beautiful beaches.
‘The current situation means that the operational logistics and training behind setting up a lifeguard service – normally in full swing at the moment – have had to stop. Re-establishing this infrastructure and distributing equipment to beaches will take time. And we must also make sure that conditions are safe for our lifeguards to provide an effective service – our priority remains the safety of our people and the public.
‘But despite these challenges, and given enough notice of lockdown lifting, we’re hoping to put lifeguard patrols on around 70 beaches across the UK and Channel Islands.
‘We are planning for a service that we can adapt to changes in Government guidelines and restrictions. We don’t know whether people will be allowed to visit beaches, what social distancing restrictions will be in place, or whether we’ll have periods where restrictions are relaxed and then reintroduced. We’re also looking at how we provide our lifeguard service – we may have a more agile service that can adapt to changing circumstances – so it may look a little different to previous years. And we’re working with local councils, landowners and partners to make sure the environment lifeguards return to is safe and appropriate precautions are in place.
‘While the main challenge of rolling out a lifeguard service will be logistical, as a charity we do also need to consider the financial challenge we currently face and our fall in income due to restrictions on how we can fundraise.
‘The reduced lifeguard service will continue to be supported by our lifeboat stations around the coast. Our lifeboat volunteers have been on call 24/7 to help those in trouble at sea throughout the coronavirus outbreak – and will continue to be so this summer. We will also be giving water safety advice throughout the summer. During the coronavirus outbreak we have seen great examples of people coming together, so our focus is to work with the public to succeed in ensuring the coast is a safe place to visit when restrictions are lifted.’
The RNLI is urging everyone to follow current Government instructions until these restrictions are lifted. The guidance is clear: stay home, protect the NHS and save lives. While you are allowed outside for daily exercise, we do not recommend that this exercise is on or in the sea. If you are able to visit the coast for your daily exercise, while adhering to Government advice, we urge you to remember the following RNLI safety advice:
- Take care near cliffs – know your route and your limitations
- Check the weather forecast and tide times
- If you fall into the water unexpectedly, FLOAT TO LIVE. Fight your instinct to thrash around, lean back, extend your arms and legs, and float
- In any coastal emergency dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard
Medway’s Household Waste and Recycling Centres
Plans are underway to safely reopen Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) across Kent and Medway for essential use.
HWRCs were closed in March in line with government guidelines to encourage people to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives as part of its response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Medway Council has developed a new online booking system in preparation for its HWRCs at Capstone and Hoath Way in Gillingham to reopen from Friday, 15 May – the online booking system will be the only way to access a waste centre. Further plans will be put in place for the site at Cuxton to safely reopen as soon as possible at a later date.
This will enable residents who have booked an appointment to dispose of waste that is presenting a hazard and cannot reasonably be disposed of in other ways. The booking system will enable the council to both manage demand and meet essential social distancing requirements, which are being introduced to ensure the protection of customers and staff.
The same system is being implemented across all Kent County Council waste disposal sites at the same time.
Medway’s Portfolio Holder for Front Line Services and covering waste disposal, Cllr Phil Filmer, said: “Medway Council has been busy working on plans to allow our Household Waste and Recycling Centres to safely reopen in line with government guidelines for essential use only. I am pleased our centres will be reopened soon for residents who have no other means to securely store or dispose of waste.
“Although the council has maintained an excellent weekly household waste and recycling collection throughout the lockdown, we know there is demand for these much-appreciated and additional facilities to be reopened. However, it is essential that we do so in a way that keeps people safe and avoids customers having to wait in long queues. Implementing a booking only system is the best way to achieve this.”
To ensure all customers get fair access to a site to dispose of waste, households can only book one visit per calendar month. All waste items usually accepted at each HWRC can be disposed of during this time, but please only book a visit if the journey is essential. Initially only the sites at Capstone and Hoath Way in Gillingham will be reopened – the HWRC at Cuxton will remain closed until plans have been put in place for it to be safely reopened.
Customers will be asked to show their booking reference on arrival – either on a device such as a phone or a print out. The online booking system is anticipated to go live from Wednesday, 13 May – further details on how to access the system in Medway and Kent will be released nearer the time.
Cllr Filmer added: “Thank you to residents for your patience during this difficult time. To reduce the risk to both residents and our staff, we ask that everyone carefully considers whether a trip to a HWRC is essential or if the visit can wait until restrictions are lifted. Please only book an appointment if you absolutely need to visit a HWRC and if you do, remember to stay two metres apart.”
Medway’s weekly household waste and recycling collections have continued throughout the pandemic, with crews collecting 26 per cent more during April compared with the same period last year due to more people being at home.
Speaking about the tremendous efforts from the household waste crews, Cllr Filmer said: “I’d personally like to thank the crews and all the staff who have maintained our excellent weekly service during these challenging and busy times. Thank you also to Medway residents for your cooperation during this time. I am pleased that Medway residents continue to receive one of the best weekly collection services in the country. Please do continue to recycle and dispose of the appropriate waste on your household collection day or make use of our bulky collection service for larger goods to ensure you can stay home and stay safe.”
