It can be helpful to review events around pregnancy and birth. In Suffolk and North East Essex all maternity units have a birth reflection/listening service that can be accessed at any time after giving birth or when you return for subsequent pregnancies. To find out about how to access this service, speak to your community midwife.
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Bishop’s Stortford Registry Office
2 Hockerill Street, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 2DL
Tel: 0300 123 4045
Braintree Registry Office
Braintree Library, Fairfield Road, Braintree
CM7 3YL
Tel: 0345 603 7632
Bury St Edmunds Register Office
7 Angel Hill, Bury St Edmunds IP33 1UZ
Tel: 0345 6072060
Email: bury.registrars@suffolk.gov.uk
Chelmsford Registry Office
17 Market Road, Chelmsford CM1 1GF
Tel: 0345 603 7632
Clacton-on-Sea Registry Office
96 Station Road, Clacton-on-Sea CO15 1SF
Colchester Register Office
Colchester Library, 21 Trinity Square,
Colchester CO1 1JB
Tel: 0345 603 7632
Ipswich Register Office
St Peter House, 16 Grimwade Street, Ipswich IP4 1LP
Tel: 0345 607 2050
Email: ipswich.registrars@suffolk.gov.uk
Lowestoft Registry Office
2 Canning Road, Lowestoft NR33 0EQ
Tel: 0345 607 2070
Email: lowestoft.registrars@suffolk.gov.uk
Stowmarket Registry Office
Milton House, Milton Road South, Stowmarket IP14 1EZ
Tel: 0345 607 2050
Email: stowmarket.registrars@suffolk.gov.uk
Sudbury Registry Office
The Town Hall, Old Market Place, Sudbury CO10 1TL
Tel: 0345 607 2080
Email: sudbury.registrars@suffolk.gov.uk
Woodbridge Registry Office
26a Quayside, Woodbridge IP12 1BH
Tel: 0345 607 2090
Email: woodbridge.registrars@suffolk.gov.uk
Uttlesford District Council Offices
London Rd, Saffron Walden CB11 4ER
Tel: 01799 510319
Email: registration@essex.gov.uk
Suffolk Children’s Centres
Berechurch Family Hub
Greenstead Health Family Delivery Suite
Harwich Library Healthy Family Delivery Site
Tel: 01206 372 300 or
Tel: 0300 247 0015
Little Hands Health Family Delivery Site
Rainbow Health Family Delivery Site
St Anne’s and Castle Healthy Family Delivery Site
St James and Holland Vally Healthy Family Delivery Site
Sydney House Family Hub
Windmill Healthy Family Delivery Site
In Suffolk and North East Essex every maternity unit has a local neonatal unit/special care baby unit caring for sick or preterm babies, however not every unit has a neonatal intensive care unit.
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Coastal Birthing Unit
Tel: 01255 429690
Your community midwife will also have her own telephone number.Colchester Hospital
Your community midwife will have her own telephone number.Ipswich Hospital
Tel: 01473 702666
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
West Suffolk Hospital
Tel: 01284 713755
Each of the hospitals in Suffolk and North East Essex maternity units offer these core services:
• birth centre
• birthing pools
• obstetric-led care
• midwife-led care
• infant feeding specialists
• consultant cover
• home birth option
• specialist diabetes clinic
• ultrasonography services
• antenatal ward
• antenatal care in the community
• birth preparation classes
• local neonatal care
• postnatal ward
• postnatal care in the community
• postnatal care at home
• perinatal mental health specialists
Charitable Trusts
The NHS Foundation Trusts in Suffolk and North East Essex have their own charities. These hospital charities raise money via fundraising activities for patients and staff, and by coordinating and receiving charitable donations. Money raised is re-invested into service improvement projects. To find out more about your local NHS hospital charity, follow the links below.East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
You can decide where in Suffolk and North East Essex you want to receive your maternity care during pregnancy, birth and beyond.
Feedback on Suffolk NHS Trust websites
Women and their families are encouraged to provide feedback in a variety of ways. Both ESNEFT and West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust offer you opportunities to complete our Friends and Family feedback directly on the Trust websites. The information collected on the website is taken directly back to the Trust hospitals to ensure continued improvement of services.East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service
23-27 Lanswood Park, Elmstead Market,
Colchester CO7 7FD
Tel: 01206 372 300
Suffolk and North East Essex
Maternity care in Suffolk and North East Essex
This app, originally developed by North West London Local Maternity System, has been adapted for use in Suffolk and North East Essex by Suffolk and North East Essex Local Maternity System.If you live outside of Suffolk and North East Essex , you can still use this app’s content and develop your personal care plans. To find your nearest unit follow this link: Colchester Hospital Medicines Advice Helpline
Tel: 01206 742161
Ipswich Hospital Medicines Advice Helpline
Tel: 01473 703604
The Maternity and Neonatal Safety Improvement Programme (MatNeoSIP)
This project aims to improve the safety and outcomes of maternal and neonatal care by reducing variation in practice and providing a high quality healthcare experience for all women, babies and their families across England.PReCePT (Prevention of Cerebral Palsy in Preterm Labour)
The PReCePT programme aims to reduce the incidence of cerebral palsy in babies born prematurely by giving women a medication called magnesium sulphate during labour. This programme is being rolled out across our Local Maternity System and other activities include improving care, strengthening staff capability across maternal and neonatal units and supporting mothers to become more involved with their care to improve quality of life of preterm babies and their families.Saving Babies lives care bundle version 2 is being implemented across all hospitals in our area. For more information go to:There are currently no private maternity care available in Suffolk and North East Essex.
Both Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals sometime participate in research trials, and you may be asked if you want to take part. This is always optional and declining to participate will not affect the care we provide for you. Your midwife or doctor will explain in detail before you decide whether you want to join a trial.
Talking therapy services or IAPT services are offered throughout Suffolk and North East Essex, providing support to those experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression. Priority is given to pregnant women and new parents. You can either self-refer over the phone or online, or ask your midwife or GP to do it for you. The service is free and aims to be flexible around your needs.Talking therapy/IAPT contact details in Suffolk and North East Essex:
Our vision statement
"Our vision is to lead the way in providing first class, safe maternity care that offers choice and individualised continuity with family at the heart of everything we do.We will do this by working in partnership to provide outstanding maternity services that are evidence based and in line with the recommendations of the national maternity review ‘Better Births’.Working as a collaborative, we will build trust and breakdown boundaries across our area. By doing this we aim to improve the clinical outcomes and care experience for women and families using our services.”In Suffolk and North East Essex every maternity unit has a local neonatal unit/special care baby unit caring for sick or preterm babies, however not every unit has a neonatal intensive care unit.
Midwife
You will meet several midwives throughout your pregnancy, birth and beyond. In Suffolk and North East Essex we are working hard to ensure each woman has a named midwife who is responsible for coordinating her care.Obstetrician
These are doctors who specialise in caring for women during pregnancy, birth and in the period immediately after birth (whilst in the maternity unit). You may see an obstetrician during pregnancy if you have any issues which require review or more specialised management and they will be involved if you have a caesarean or assisted birth.Paediatrician/Neonatalogist(baby doctor)
Paediatricians or neonatologists are doctors specialising in the care of newborn babies and children. They will be involved in your care if early (premature) delivery is anticipated or if there are likely to be concerns about the health of your baby during or after the birth.Sonographer
These are professionals who undertake your ultrasound scans. They are specially trained to undertake scans during pregnancy.Maternity support worker
You may meet maternity support workers during pregnancy, birth or beyond. They support the maternity team and provide some of your care throughout the journey.Student midwife
Maternity units in Suffolk and North East Essex work closely with local universities to support midwives and doctors in training. These students will work alongside their midwife ‘mentor’ and will ask for your consent before providing you with any care.Health Visitor
Health visitors work in teams. They work closely with the other professionals listed above, including GPs and organisations that support families where you live. Most families in England will be offered several review contacts and additional support depending on the individual needs of your family.The health promoting visit at 28 weeks of pregnancy, is the first time that the health visitor meets parents. A health needs assessment will be agreed, covering physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing. The health visitor will also discuss a number of issues, including transition to parenthood, how to enhance the parent-child bonding experience and how parents can help their baby’s early development.Other staff members
You may meet other members of staff and medical students, depending on your pregnancy needs and where you choose to have your care.Our objective
Suffolk and North East Essex introducing recommendations from the Better Births, National Maternity Review.Published in 2016, the review aims to ensure that maternity services in England be "safer, more personalised, kinder, professional and more family friendly; where every woman has access to information to enable her to make decisions about her care; and where she and her baby can access support that is centred around their individual needs and circumstances".{‘hospitals’:[{‘slug’:’hospital-coastal-birthing-unit’,’name’:”Coastal Birthing Unit”,’imageurl’:’http://mumandbabyv4.imagineear.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Coastal-Holding-pic-png.jpg’,’id’:0,’coordinate’: {‘latitude’:51.7856,’longitude’:1.1485}},{‘slug’:’hospital-colchester-hospital’,’name’:”Colchester Hospital”,’imageurl’:’http://mumandbabyv4.imagineear.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Colchester-Hospital-front.jpg’,’id’:1,’coordinate’: {‘latitude’:51.9099,’longitude’:0.8989}},{‘slug’:’hospital-ipswich-hospital’,’name’:”Ipswich Hospital”,’imageurl’:’http://mumandbabyv4.imagineear.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Ipswich-2018-June14-1.jpg’,’id’:2,’coordinate’: {‘latitude’:52.0567,’longitude’:1.1482}},{‘slug’:’hospital-west-suffolk-hospital’,’name’:”West Suffolk Hospital”,’imageurl’:’http://mumandbabyv4.imagineear.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/West-Suffok-Hospital-SPB_6660-amended.jpg’,’id’:3,’coordinate’: {‘latitude’:52.2316,’longitude’:0.7092}}]}
