WATCH: Jersey's maternity unit to get £6.5m refit

Friday 13 August 2021

The maternity unit at the hospital is to begin being refurbished from next Monday, with the start of a £6.5m project to upgrade the facilities.

The work is to be done in 11 phases, running until October 2023.

Video: A guide around the new plans.

The work on the unit, which has not received significant refurbishment in the last 25 years, will include more en suite facilities, midwifery led units, better temperature control, an expansion of the Special Care Baby Unit, provision of piped gas and 'gas scavenging' systems, refurbishment to meet infection control standards, and an upgraded nurse call system.

Designed by Morris Architects, the first phase of work will start on Monday, and go on until February 2022, followed by the other phases - the unit will continue operating throughout the work.

The 11 phases will be split as follows.

• Phase 1 - create a new HTU isolation birthing area and bereavement suite.
• Phase 2 - create a larger Special Care Baby Unit (increasing from 72 up to 203 square metres).
• Phase 3 - create two midwife-led birthing areas.
• Phases 4 & 5 - create three consultant led birthing rooms with en-suite facilities.
• Phase 6 - The refurbishment of the staff office and changing facilities.
• Phases 7 - 11 - The refurbishment of the existing patient beds along the parade elevation.

The refurbishment has been a long time coming, with the need first flagged up with a Statement of Requirement to meet modern standards back in 2018 - however, there was a delay in allocating and securing funding, as well as covid.

Now funding for the next three years has now been secured.

The budget is £6.5m, taken from the backlog maintenance budget - £1.8m will be spent this year, £3.2m will be spent next year, and £1.5m will be spent in 2023.

It also follows a number of concerns about the facilities were raised in a Scrutiny report last month, which slammed the current facilities as "highly unacceptable" and recommended 29 changes.

Whilst concerns were also raised in this report by staff about the potential effect construction could have going on while the unit is still in operation, those behind the project have said that acoustic barriers will mitigate noise issues, dust screens will be put up as required and a dust manager/noise manager will be conducting daily walkthroughs.

Head of Midwifery, Dana Scott, said: “This is exciting news for us in maternity as the unit hasn’t had any significant refurbishments during the last 25 years. 

“The work will be transformational in modernising the facilities and is a planned maintenance backlog project working within the footprint of the existing unit.

"I’d like to reassure Islanders that while this work will be disruptive at times, there will not be any significant impacts on services. Our teams will be working hard to ensure families continue to be supported throughout this time.”