Sent on behalf of Sarah Herbert, Chief Nursing Officer, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

New maternity, neonatal and emergency gynaecology unit opens at Royal Bournemouth Hospital this month

Dear colleague,

On 31 March 2025 at 8am, the new maternity and neonatal unit at the BEACH Building, Royal Bournemouth Hospital, will open.

From this time, all services will be delivered from this facility.

All emergency gynaecology and early pregnancy services will move to RBH. Anyone at any stage of pregnancy from the very first positive pregnancy test self-presenting with a suspected gynaecology issue should attend RBH and not Poole.

Until 31 March, maternity care will continue to be provided at St Mary's Maternity Unit at Poole Hospital.

Operational Changes from 31 March 2025

Maternity Services

• From 8:00am on 31 March 2025, SWASFT will be required to convey maternity patients to the BEACH Building at Royal Bournemouth Hospital (RBH).
• To facilitate a smooth transition, maternity services will double-run at both St Mary’s and RBH for 48 hours to maximize discharges from St Mary’s. However, some patients with medical complexities may still require SWASFT transfer between 31 March and 2 April.
• Any maternity patients self-presenting at Poole ED from 31 March may also require SWASFT transfer to RBH.

Emergency Gynaecology and Early Pregnancy Services

• All emergency gynaecology and early pregnancy services will move to RBH from Monday 31 March.
• Any patients with suspected gynaecological issues should attend RBH instead of Poole ED.

Emergency Gynaecology – Important Notes

• GPs – The referral process remains unchanged. Continue to contact the Gynaecology Registrar on call, but please advise patients they will need to go to RBH from 8:00 AM on 31 March, regardless of their postcode.
• 111 Service – Any patients advised to attend ED/UTC must be directed to RBH only from 8:00 AM on 31 March.
• SWASFT – Any suspected gynaecology cases should be brought to RBH from 8:00am on 31 March.
• Other stakeholders (including SARC) – All emergency gynaecology cases will move to RBH from 8:00am on 31 March.

Patient Transfers and Transition Plan

A small number of mothers and babies will require already arranged enhanced care transfer from St Mary's Maternity Unit to the BEACH Building as part of this transition. We are not anticipating emergency ambulance transfers will be required during the move period from St Mary's to the BEACH.

Every effort will be made to ensure a smooth and well-coordinated transfer, with no disruptions during labour. Those affected will receive full support and clear communication regarding their care plans.

This relocation represents a significant advancement in maternity services, ensuring that families benefit from a high standard of care in a purpose-built facility. The new maternity unit is part of a broader initiative to enhance emergency care at Royal Bournemouth Hospital, reducing patient transfers and improving healthcare outcomes across the region.

Additional updates and further information can be found via Born at the BEACH – Maternity Matters Dorset: The BEACH building – Maternity Matters Dorset.

Early Pregnancy Services – Contact Information

• GPs, Sexual Health Clinics, BPAS, Ultrasound Direct, Marie Stopes – For Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU) queries, please call 0300 019 5713 from 31 March.
• SWAST – Patients in early pregnancy (13 weeks and 6 days or less) with potential pregnancy complications should be taken to RBH from 8:00 AM on 31 March.

Key Features of the New Maternity Unit

This state-of-the-art facility is designed to provide expecting parents with the highest quality of care and comfort throughout their journey from pregnancy to birth and beyond.

With cutting-edge equipment and a dedicated team, the new maternity and neonatal unit will be a welcoming environment where over 4,400 babies are expected to be born each year. Our focus remains on ensuring that parents-to-be and their families feel comfortable, safe, and well-supported during this crucial time.

• Enhanced facilities offering a modern and supportive environment for parents and newborns.
• Dedicated parking directly outside the BEACH Building for those in labour or requiring urgent care, with clear signposting for routine appointments.
• Provisions for a support person to remain throughout the duration of admission, enhancing the experience for families.

We look forward to welcoming expectant parents and families to this new chapter in maternity, neonatal and emergency gynaecology care.

If you have any questions or require further details, please do not hesitate to contact.

Thank you for your ongoing support in helping us provide exceptional care to families in our community.

Sarah Herbert

Chief Nursing Officer

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

EA Caroline Jeans 0300 019 4490 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you have been a target of violence or aggression here at work – either physically or verbally – we encourage you to always report this via Datix/LERN. We would also recommend that you have reported this to your manager so that colleagues are aware and you can be supported.

As a Trust, we have a commitment to ensure the safety of all our colleagues. We believe that not all attacks are being reported through Datix/LERN so for a trial period we have set up this survey to help us to work out trends so we can work towards helping to protect everyone.

Please do complete this short survey to help us plan:

• Did you suffer an incident of Violence and Aggression at work?
• Date of incident?
• Was it physical or verbal?
• Was it a patient, visitor or member of staff?
• What department was it in?
• Did you complete a LERN?
• What was your reason for reporting/not reporting via a LERN?

We believe that you should report this incident via Datix/LERN. Reporting these incidents are extremely important to us so that we can investigate, learn and action any measures required to help prevent further occurrences of this type of incident in the future. If you need support with this please contact your line manager.

Further resources are available here.

Please bring your NHS number. Please note that clinics may change due to staff availability.  If the line is busy, please try another available clinic or contact your peer vaccinators. 

The 2024 NHS Staff Survey is now closed. We will be sharing our results, alongside information for managers about how to understand your results shortly across our communications channels. Thank you for your patience. 

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