The obstetric unit is busy dealing with high risk pregnancies with around 5000 deliveries every year. The two maternity wards (20 – 24 beds) close to the Labour Ward are combined ante-natal (Pearl ward) and post-natal wards (Kent ward) with “transitional care” for babies needing extra midwifery and medical care, but who do not need full SCBU care.

We are offer Level 3 neonatal services with around 150 in-utero transfers per annum accepting babies from 23 weeks onwards.

For normal pregnancies, ante-natal care is provided almost entirely in the community by community midwives. High risk pregnancies are seen in consultant led clinics and any urgent reviews occur in our Maternity Care unit or maternity triage.

Consultant clinics are held at Medway Maritime, Sheppey General and Sittingbourne Memorial Hospitals. These clinics are for mothers who have risk factors or where a problem develops during the pregnancy. We have a number of specialist antenatal clinics for diabetes, hypertension, obstetric cholestasis, perinatal mental health, medical maternal disorders and a VBAC clinic.

We also now have an appointed consultant physician in Acute and Obstetric Medicine who plays a crucial role and contributes to the care of pregnant women with complex medical problems.

A consultant led perineal clinic also runs weekly were women with a history of OASIS are seen and offered endoanal ultrasound and manometry.

There are 10 single delivery rooms, a 2 bedded MECU (Obstetric HDU), a dedicated Obstetric Theatre and second theatre for daily elective caesarean section lists.

The delivery rooms are well-equipped with fetal monitoring equipment including central monitoring and there is a blood gas analyser for fetal blood sampling and umbilical cord blood samples.

Obstetric medical cover is provided by a SpR (ST3+ or equivalent), an ST1/2 or F2 and by the Consultant on-call.

In-utero (and ex-utero) transfers from surrounding districts in West Kent and further afield are readily accepted as Medway has a Level 3 NICU. There is Midwifery Led unit located on same floor which caters to low risk women.

We have a very busy Fetal Medicine unit which provides tertiary level services, receiving referrals from all over Kent. All women are offered at least three scans in their pregnancy; a dating scan at 12 weeks were women are also screened for aneuploidies as well as risk of developing placental dysfunction, an anomaly scan with a cervical assessment at around 20 weeks and a 36 weeks growth scan for fetal well-being.

A number of clinics also run weekly including clinics for placental disorders, hypertension, preterm and multiple pregnancy. Fetal echocardiography services are provided with fetal echoes and a visiting Fetal cardiologist as well as availability to geneticist. Invasive procedures are carried out regularly including Chorionic villous sampling, amniocentesis, intrauterine fetal blood transfusion for anaemic babies, and foeticide for termination of pregnancy for fetal abnormality cases.

There is also a dedicated research team working within the department with lots of opportunities to get involved.

Consultant Gynaecology clinics are held at Medway Maritime, Sittingbourne and Sheppey Hospitals including specialist infertility, endometriosis, urogynae, vulval disorders and sexual dysfunction clinics.

We offer a number of outpatient services in minor procedures and rapid access clinics including colposcopy, hysteroscopy and biopsy, vulvoscopy and vulval biopsy, insertion of mirena and urodynamics.

We also have a busy Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinic (EPAC) with scanning lists every day from Monday to Sunday led by an experienced nurse or Midwife. We have started offering outpatient Manual Vacuum Aspiration as part of the treatment for miscarriage

There is a 24 hour Gynaecology Assessment Unit on Kingfisher Ward, run by a Gynaecology Staff Nurse alongside the On Call Team. It accepts referrals from the Emergency Department, GPs, MedOCC, from EPAC or self- referral for women in early pregnancy.

Most consultants have one major and one day case operating list per week with the majority of benign gynaecology surgeries being done laparoscopically. There are opportunities to practice advanced laparoscopic skills, hysteroscopy skills and urogynaecology surgeries.

We have one gynae ward accepting emergency and elective admissions which also has a Gynae Assessment unit where A&E referrals can be seen, and transvaginal scanning can be done if needed.

There is a rolling postgraduate doctor rota consisting of 10 Clinical Trust Fellows, 6 Specialty trainees, 12 SHOs and 2 FY1 doctors.

There are 20 consultants on a separate rota with a consultant on site between 8.30am and 9.30 pm and non-resident from 9.30 pm till 08.30am.

There is protected teaching for different grades of postgraduate doctors.

Mr Hany Habeeb – Clinical Director, Laparoscopic surgery, Cancer Lead

Miss Joanna Clay- Urogynaecology, College Tutor

Miss Kandice Wong- Urogynaecology

Miss Padma Vankayalapati –Fetal Medicine, Maternal medicine

Prof Hasib Ahmed – Rapid Access Clinics, ColposcopyPhysician Associates Champion

Prof J Duckett – Urogynaecology, University of Kent and University of Greenwich

Miss Roopa Bangari- General Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Miss Sharon Griffin – Colposcopy lead

Mr Ranjit Akolekar – Lead for Antenatal services & Fetal medicine

Mr Krishnamoorthy – General Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Gynaecology Lead

Mr Vinu Das- Laparoscopic surgery, Audit Lead

Miss Melissa Islam - Emergency and Early Pregnancy lead

Mr Jarslow Beta – Consultant in Fetal Medicine & Obstetrics

Mr Gavin Guy- Fetal Medicine, Deputy Lead for Undergraduate Education

Mr Matthew Brown- Fetal Medicine

Miss Wei Zhang- Fetal Medicine

Miss Iranthi Meththananda- Gynaecology ultrasound, Fertility Lead

Mr Hany Wisa- Associate Specialist, Lead for Obstetrics

Miss Nuha Al- Emara- Associate Specialist, Lead for Obstetric Governance

• Weekly department consultant led teaching.

• Protected teaching for different grades of postgraduate doctors

• Mix of multidisciplinary meetings including Gynae oncology, high risk obstetrics, joint neonatal meetings

• CTG meetings

• Journal club