Birthing pool at hospital to shut for repairs

The birthing pool (similar to this one at another hospital) will be out of use for two weeks from 22 September

An NHS trust said the birthing pool at one of its hospitals will be temporarily suspended for necessary improvements to the labour ward.

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAFT) said the only birthing pool at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, would be closed for at least two weeks from 22 September.

In the meantime, expectant mothers who chose to have a water birth have been asked to use maternity facilities at Peterborough City Hospital, run by the same trust.

Alternatively, home births with hired birthing pools are still being offered, the trust said.

There is currently one birthing pool and seven birthing rooms at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon

The NHS says birthing pools can help you relax and make contractions seem less painful.

Jo Bennis, chief nurse for the NWAFT, said the facility closure was due to "essential maintenance work in the Labour Ward at Hinchingbrooke".

"Our usual birthing services will continue as normal, but unfortunately the birthing pool will be closed for that two-week period," she said.

"I understand that this will be disappointing for some service users.

"Our midwifery staff will support the small number of women impacted with their birthing plans to ensure alternative options are made available, including the use of the birthing pool at the Peterborough City Hospital site."

Last week, the trust, which also runs the Stamford & Rutland hospital, came 107th in the performance league table of 134 acute hospital trusts in England.

Hannah Coffey, chief executive of the trust, said: "Being in Segment 4 of the National Oversight Framework means that our trust will be under closer scrutiny for performance and will benefit from additional support to accelerate our improvement work.

"Over the past six months, we have seen some good results from specific patient-focused improvement programmes, including significantly reducing waiting times for elective and urgent or emergency care.

"We are continuing with this work to give our patients the best possible care and experience."