Downham Market has a new maternity support hub for expectant mothers

New and expectant mothers in and around Downham are now able to receive care in a new Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) midwifery suite in Downham, which opened last week.

The Juniper Hub is a first of it's kind unit for the area and will provide antenatal and postnatal care for women and families in the locality, reducing the need to attend routine appointments in an acute hospital setting.

Two similar successful suites have already opened – Rowan Lodge, at the hospital’s North Cambridgeshire site, and the other, The Maple Unit, in the St Augustine’s Healthy Living Centre building in Lynn.

The Juniper team, which consists of nine midwives and one senior maternity support workers, will initially run five clinics, Monday to Friday from the Downham suite, with plans to expand their services in the future.

Karen Warrington, Project Manager from Norfolk and Waveney Local Maternity & Neonatal System, said: “We are so pleased to have worked alongside QEH’s Maternity Department in progressing this standalone midwifery hub in Downham.

The provision of midwifery hubs to provide localised midwifery care in the community forms part of the National Maternity Transformation Programme.

As Project Manager, with support of the team at QEH, we have launched a community base for pregnant people to ensure they have accessible, localised care during their pregnancy journey. I am sure this facility will be welcomed by staff and pregnant people alike.”

Joanne Masters, Midwife Team Lead at the Juniper Hub, added: “The Hub will be a great place for our local women and their families, providing antenatal and postnatal care, including antenatal classes, postdates acupressure sessions, and hypnobirthing.

The hub will also be used to provide consultant appointments and support from other multidisciplinary colleagues including our perinatal mental health team, diabetes team and physiotherapy colleagues – to name a few. This is a big step forward in QEH’s journey of improvement.”

Kathryn Owens, Deputy Head of Midwifery at QEH, commented: “Last week the hub opened its doors to welcome all women cared for by the Juniper team to access services in one central location. The hub opening moves QEH towards the national ambition of working across boundaries and support personalisation, safety and choice.

Thank you to everyone involved in getting us to this point. This is an excellent step for our community, providing a more family orientated service.”