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It can be one of the happiest occasions in life, but pregnant women are risking having the experience of giving birth blighted by the hospital's ageing ward, which lacks private bathrooms, and may face being sent away from Jersey to access maternity services in future.
The observations came from Group Managing Director of Health and Community Services, Robert Sainsbury, who has this week been sharing the day-to-day challenges that the "outdated" premises present.
Regardless of whether the Future Hospital is ultimately built on the current site or elsewhere, health workers could be facing a long delay until a new facility is delivered.
Express' series 'Inside the Future Hospital waiting room' has already addressed Mr Sainsbury’s concerns about how the lack of isolation rooms increases the risk of diseases spreading and has implications for privacy and dignity within end of life care.
Pictured: The Group Managing Director Robert Sainsbury speaks to Express about the consequences of the Future Hospital delay.
Today, it focuses on maternity services...
As long as a year ago, the Head of Midwifery highlighted all the problems with the current facilities in a video, but reassurance was provided that upgrades would be coming along shortly with the commencement of the Future Hospital project.
However, with the final decision on the site still pending, those problems remain and could even be set to worsen, potentially meaning that pregnant islanders requiring maternity care could face being sent away from the island as the hospital tries to cope with a "saturated healthcare system".
The revelation came in a 'Clinical Risks Report', which was submitted to the board of politicians tasked with reviewing the site selection process for the new Hospital.
Video: Jersey's Head of Midwifery warned that the ward does not meet modern-day standards in a video this time last year.
He explained that maternity services are “very high-risk specialities” and, as a result, the effects of an outdated facility are felt more keenly.
“I think the main concern… is that the environment that we have at the moment is not a modern facility so we’re having to take a lot of action to manage those inherent risks on a day-to-day basis.”
For example, the Group Managing Director said in his report that obstetrics – the unit which handles pregnancy and childbirth – are operating without piped gases, presenting a daily "challenge" for operational function.
Speaking to Express, Mr Sainsbury continued: “It’s an excellent unit and the staff are fantastic, but there are patient experience and environmental issues within the service.”
Pictured: A current room on the maternity ward at Jersey Hospital.
New mums have complained on social media of being able to hear noise from their rooms, and even smell smoke and pollution, while others have spoken out about the problems with sharing a single toilet facility between many rooms.
For Mr Sainsbury, the lack of “adequate toilet facilities” for both men and women in the maternity department is particularly problematic. New mums and mums-to-be who find their mobility restricted may find them difficult to access. They also may find their hospital experience hampered by having to forego their privacy by having to leave their rooms to use the shared facility, rather than getting to enjoy a modern ensuite.
New facilities may also have the added benefit of stimulating recruitment within midwifery and maternity services, as the hospital is currently finding it difficult to attract and maintain staff in this area. Mr Sainsbury said that a modern facility would be a more attractive place to work.
“I truly believe that staff want to work in a modern environment… In maternity, it is a hard to recruit to area at times so we need to be sure that we’re offering a good environment to make sure we can carry on sustaining that kind of a service.”
Pictured: A lack of ensuite bathrooms in the maternity ward is can cause parents privacy and accessibility issues.
However, Mr Sainsbury added that this goes “for all of the services” that the hospital provides.
Tomorrow’s instalment of ‘Inside the Future Hospital waiting room’ will explore how hospital staff are having to manage bacteria called legionella, which can cause illness if untreated, in “key areas” of the building.
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