Larger antenatal clinic opens in city hospital

The clinic includes a new reception area, 11 clinical examination rooms and a waiting room for up to 70 people

An expanded antenatal clinic has opened at Bradford Royal Infirmary as part of a £15.5m refurbishment project.

It includes a reception area, 11 clinical examination rooms, a waiting room for up to 70 people and is part of the Women's and Newborn Unit.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, wants to improve maternity services after a "requires improvement" rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) back in 2023.

Around 5,500 babies are born at the infirmary each year and a trust spokesperson said the clinic would provide care for mothers and their babies from across the district.

Alison Powell is the hospital's midwifery lead

Alison Powell, the trust's midwifery lead, said: "Our newly created antenatal clinical area on level two is more spacious and has been created specially to enhance the privacy and dignity for expectant women.

"It will see separate waiting areas with individual receptions for patients attending appointments in the antenatal clinic, maternity assessment clinic, antenatal day unit and gynaecological clinic.

"We hope that these new surroundings will create an even better patient experience for the women of Bradford and beyond and enhance the environment for our colleagues who work there day in, day out."

'Huge step up'

Hibah Shah, from Bradford, was the first patient to attend the new clinic.

She said: "The new development seems like a huge step up from the previous antenatal clinic.

"It's clear the team involved have considered the feelings of the staff and patients to create a safer, harmonious and well-managed environment."

The new clinic is part of the trust's efforts to make its maternity services "outstanding" in all areas.

Last year October a refurbished and expanded maternity assessment centre (MAC) was opened.

The centre is a triage service, maternity's equivalent of an emergency department, for anyone who is 16 weeks pregnant onwards.

At the time the trust said it hoped the facility would help maternity services achieve a higher rating at its next inspection.

The programme is due to finish in December with the creation of an antenatal day unit with two additional bed spaces being formed within the MAC.

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