Homebirth service suspended for safety reasons.
Our homebirth service has been suspended for the foreseeable future. All imminent mums-to-be using the service have been contacted and informed of the suspension.
With the health service across London, including our colleagues in the ambulance service, under unprecedented pressure due to the Covid-19 outbreak, there has been a growing risk of delay if a homebirth mother requires an urgent transfer to hospital.
In a message to the mums-to-be, our Head of Midwifery, Shirley Peterson said: “Any reason that requires a homebirth to transfer to hospital is a maternity emergency and approximately 40% of our homebirths require transfer to hospital. In addition, we are aware that there have been some cases where we cannot maintain a safe environment for our midwives as some women have not been honest about their or their family’s status of isolation in regards to Covid 19.
“We know that this will cause a number of concerns to you but we have made this decision to ensure that you, your baby and our staff are safe. We would like to reassure you that we will continue to support your birth choices where safely possible in the hospital and for many in the birth centre if your birth remains uncomplicated. We know that many of you will be concerned because of the increasing cases of Covid 19 and this may have led to your decision to have a homebirth. To maintain your safety, the hospital is only allowing staff and authorised persons into the hospital. On arrival at the maternity unit you will be asked questions to identify whether you are suspected or have Covid 19. This is to ensure that we provide optimum care to you. It is also to ensure that we protect other pregnant women. If you do not have Covid 19 you will be cared for away from any women that have Covid 19.
“The homebirth team are still available to answer your queries and we hope that they can continue to provide your antenatal and postnatal care. We plan to review this decision as the situation progresses and will contact you accordingly if we can reinstate the homebirth service. Please do not hesitate to contact Francine Chang, Homebirth Team lead should you wish to discuss any aspect of this matter.”
Covid-19 Update
Visiting Arrangements during Covid-19
Due to Coronavirus we have made some changes to our visiting arrangements in Maternity. This is in an attempt to curb / restrict the spread of the virus and protect the health of all our women
Antenatal appointments and Scans with both Midwives and Doctors in Community and Antenatal Clinic:
Women must attend all appointments alone. Partners, children and other people accompanying you will be asked to wait outside if they attend.
During labour on the Birth Centre and Delivery Suite on Induction of labour on Turpin ward:
Women may bring one birthing partner to accompany them – no other visitors allowed and no swapping.
Postnatal care on Templar ward:
No partners/visitors/family /children allowed onto Templar ward for the foreseeable future.
Appointments
In order to minimise face-to-face contact we have conducted a risk assessment and cancelled some appointments and transferred some others into telephone only. The appointments and scans which remain face-to-face are vitally important for us to be able to ensure the health of you and your baby so please continue to attend them if you are well. If you cannot attend an appointment because you have symptoms or are self-isolating due to a household member then please call the Homerton Maternity Helpline on 0208 510 5955 10am - 8pm each day or email on: huh-tr.maternityhelpline@nhs.net.
Information on Coronavirus information in English, Albanian, Dari, French, Farsi, Hindi, Kurdish, Mandarin, Pashto, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese can be found by following this link. More languages are being added regularly:
https://www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk/news/coronavirus-information/
We provide maternity care for nearly 6000 women and their babies each year, during pregnancy, labour, birth and up until one month after birth.
During and after pregnancy, we offer both midwifery-led and consultant-led care and our teams are multidisciplinary which means all the care you need is provided within the maternity wards.
Our midwives look after women at the hospital antenatal clinic, at local GP surgeries and children’s centres.
We provide a home birth service and hospital-based care during labour and birth. In addition, Homerton is a leading regional neonatal centre and we will be able to provide the highest quality specialist care for your baby after birth if needed.
Please note we are a teaching hospital and as such students work alongside qualified practioners in providing your care. You will be asked for your consent for the student to be present or participate in your care.
Maternity referral form
Please complete our online form below.
NHS maternity care entitlement and charges
Some women may be asked to pay for their care. However, maternity care will not be refused or delayed for any woman, whether or not you are able to pay for your care.
Where women are eligible for charges, we can arrange affordable payment plans according to your circumstances. It is very important for yours and your baby’s health that you receive care during your pregnancy, birth and afterwards.
If you are worried about NHS maternity care charges, you can view information about whether this would apply to you via the Maternity Action website or by calling their maternity rights advice helpline for independent legal advice on: 0808 802 0057 (Freephone) Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri 10 am – 1 pm.
You can also contact our maternity helpline on 0208 510 5955 10am - 6pm daily to speak confidentially to a midwife, or email our consultant midwife to discuss this via tamsinbicknell@nhs.net
Please do not let worries about charges put you off seeking maternity care. Maternity care will never be refused or delayed for any woman, whether or not you are able to pay for your care.
Staff and hours
| Telephone | Opening hours | |
| Maternity Helpline | 020 8510 5955 | Every day,10am - 6pm |
| Antenatal clinic | 020 8510 7175 | Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm |
| Delivery suite | 020 8510 7351/7352 | Every day, 24 hours |
| Templar Ward | 020 8510 7541 /7561 | Every day, 24 hours |
| Community midwifery | 020 8510 5761 | Monday - Sunday, 9am - 4pm |
| Fetal Medicine | 020 8510 7291 / 7597 | Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm |
Shirley Peterson
Deputy chief nurse and head of midwifery
tel: 020 8510 5767
email: shirley.peterson@nhs.net
Sarah Latham
Deputy head of midwifery
tel: 020 8510 7404
email: sarah.latham11@nhs.net
Mr Yinka Akinfewa
Associate medical director, consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist and lead consultant for fetal medicine
Mr Ademola Kejoku
Clinical lead for obstetrics, consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist, lead consultant for emergency obstetric unit, audit and guidelines
Gitty Blum
Matron for delivery suite, emergency obstetric unit and triage
tel: 020 8510 7350
email: gitty.blum@nhs.net
Tracy Beason
Matron for community midwifery and Homerton birth centre
tel: 07747 457 354
email: tracy.beason@nhs.net
Ruth Stocks
Matron for maternity wards, antenatal clinic, antenatal and newborn screening
tel: 020 8510 7350
email: ruth.stocks1@nhs.net
Sumayyah Bilal
Named midwife for Safegaurding
sumayyah.bilal@nhs.net
Ella Hill Behari
Lead clinical midwife specialist, fetal medicine unit
email: ellahill1@nhs.net
Philippa Cox
Consultant midwife
tel: 020 8510 7046
email: philippacox1@nhs.net
Tamsin Bicknell
Consultant midwife, Public Health
tel: 020 8510 7715
email: tamsinbicknell@nhs.net
Esther Boye
Professional Midwifery Advocate & Practice Educator
tel: 020 8510 5147
email: e.boye@nhs.net
Senior midwives
A senior midwife is available 24 hours a day and is contactable via the hospital switchboard 020 8510 5555.
Philosophy of care
Our philosophy of care is based on respect for pregnancy as a state of health and childbirth as a normal, healthy, physiological process.
Pregnancy and birth are very significant events in a woman’s life and that of her family. The care we provide will aim to respect the diversity of women’s needs and the variety of personal and cultural values that women, families and communities bring to these events. Care will be continuous, personal and responsive to a woman’s health, social and emotional needs.
We aim to keep women informed at all times of the progress of their pregnancy and likewise any issues that arise during their care. We will encourage decision-making as a shared responsibility between the woman, her family and her care givers. To facilitate this, care provision must include evidence based information, education and counselling support to enable the woman to make informed choices.