Musgrove Park Hospital

Address

Parkfield Drive

Taunton

TA1 5DA

"In Somerset we are committed to developing safe, personalised, kind, professional and family friendly maternity care. Every family will have access to the information they need to enable them to make decisions about their care; and will be able to access support that is centred on their individual needs and circumstances.  

 

"Our staff will be supported to deliver care which is woman centred, working in high performance teams in organisations that are well led, open and honest and in cultures which promote innovation, continuous learning and overcome organisational boundaries."

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust provide maternity services delivered by a dedicated multiprofessional team of midwives, obstetricians, support workers and other health care professionals.  Our service provides care for over 3,200 births per year from a variety of settings including our main maternity unit at Musgrove Park Hospital, community hospitals around the county, children’s centres, G.P surgeries, our midwife led birth centres at Musgrove Park Hospital and Bridgwater Community Hospital and within your own home. 

Services based at Musgrove Park include screening and scanning, obstetrician clinics, 24 hour triage and antenatal ward and postnatal wards. We have an alongside midwife led birth centre at Bracken Birth Centre and a main labour ward. 

Our community maternity teams will provide care based in your local area usually from a dedicated community hub based in locations such as a children’s centre or GP surgery. We have 11 community teams spread across our county, each providing care throughout your pregnancy journey right through to early parenthood including supporting births at home or at the Mary Stanley Birth Centre. Teams work together to ensure high quality, holistic care based around your own individual needs.  

 

Our service strives to provide holistic, person centred care and our teams will work with you to ensure you receive an excellent standard of care and a positive experience. 

Our specialist services include

Services include:

Early pregnancy assessment clinic (EPAC)

The Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinic provides early scans and consultation/support for women experiencing problems in pregnancy, between 6 to 16 weeks. The service is currently provided Monday to Friday.Women who are experiencing pain and or bleeding, or who have had a previous ectopic pregnancy can be referred. Not all women will require a face to face consultation/scan, but will be triaged over the telephone first and advice given. Referrals are taken from GPs, midwives, and out of hours services.

Maternity triage

Our Maternity Triage Team of midwives run a daily outpatient clinic as well as providing 24 hour advice and support during pregnancy. The midwives work alongside our obstetric colleagues to provide care for those who require extra monitoring in their pregnancy.You may be referred to triage by your community midwife from antenatal clinic or you can telephone the team any time of day or night if you have urgent concerns about yourself or your baby. The assessment and monitoring in triage may involve observations, monitoring the baby’s heart rate, blood tests or emergency scans if necessary. Each treatment and plan of care will be discussed fully with you at your appointment.

VBAC Clinic (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean Section)

The clinic is an advice service for women considering their choices following a previous uncomplicated caesarean birth. A team of experienced midwives, who have a special interest in vaginal birth after caesarean section will discuss your previous birth experience, give you an opportunity to explore your options.

Diabetic clinic

When visiting the Joint Diabetes/Obstetric Clinic you will meet the multidisciplinary team comprised of the consultant endocrinologist, consultant obstetrician, diabetes nurses, dietician and diabetes midwife. They will discuss all aspects of care for your diabetes during your pregnancy and make a plan of care with you. They will be able to offer you advice and tips on how to manage your blood sugar levels. The team will monitor your wellbeing and the growth and wellbeing of your baby. Together with you, the team will formulate a plan of care for your pregnancy, birth and postnatal period.

Juniper Team

The Juniper Team consists of a team of specialist midwives. Their role is to care for women experiencing complex social needs. This may include women who have a history of substance or alcohol abuse, domestic violence or abuse, learning difficulties/disabilities and social services input. The Juniper Team are able to provide further support and information on a range of subjects including finance, housing and additional health support. The Juniper Team provide additional support for women experiencing mental health problems during pregnancy. They work closely with the perinatal mental health team to create robust care plans to help women to feel as well as they can when baby arrives.The Team also provide specialist care for young parents under the age of 16 to give additional support throughout pregnancy, which include antenatal classes and activities for parents-to-be under 16 years old and a chance to meet up with other young mums.

Infant feeding team

The infant feeding team at SFT is made up of midwives and trainee nurse associates with a special interest in infant feeding. The team is led by specialist midwife and lactation consultant, Liz Gunn. We are a Gold accredited baby friendly unit which means we meet a set of evidence based, interlinking standards around breastfeeding and supporting families to build close and loving relationships. The team provide training, write guidelines and support the unit and community maternity staff with feeding plans. We offer antenatal education in the form of regular infant feeding workshops and run a Facebook page with useful information and resources. We support the paediatric and neonatal unit and review any babies and families requiring additional support either on the wards or through a regular outpatient clinic for more complex feeding issues. The team run the frenulotomy service for Somerset (alongside Yeovil). We are passionate about supporting you and your feeding choices, providing you with education to make informed decisions around infant feeding and positive infant mental health.

Hearing Screening Team

The Hearing Screening Team screen all newborn babies prior to discharge from the maternity ward, babies born at home or discharged prior to screening being undertaken will be invited to attend a clinic in the community or seen at home.

Somerset neonatal intensive care unit (SNICU)

Somerset Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (SNICU) is our specialised ward for premature and sick new born babies. Wherever you live in Somerset, if you have a sick or preterm baby they will be cared for here by our team of experienced nurses and doctors, or in the Special Care Nursery at Yeovil District Hospital.

SNICU is located in our maternity building in Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. The unit is divided into two areas – one for intensive care and one for special care. There are 18 cots in total.

If your baby is unwell or needs any of the treatments below they can be cared for in SNICU:

• Continuous monitoring of their breathing, heart rate and oxygen levels
• Tube feeding (where milk is fed via a small flexible tube down your baby’s nose and into the food pipe to your baby’s stomach)
• Phototherapy (where a special type of light treats a baby’s jaundice)
• Recovery and convalescence, such as after surgery
• Short term intensive care
• Breathing support including oxygen therapy and ventilation (where a baby is helped to breathe)
• Intravenous fluids and nutrition (given via a baby’s vein)
• Treatment for infection

If your baby needs an operation or more complex care, they may be transferred to our specialist unit In Bristol by a dedicated transport team.

Our team

In SNICU, you will still be able to care for your baby, guided and helped by the nurses. We have some accommodation available if you would like to stay in the hospital, and you will be supported to feed your baby in your chosen way, by breast or bottle.

The nurse in charge of the Neonatal Unit is the ward manager. The consultant is the senior doctor in charge of your baby’s medical care, supported by team of nurse practitioners and junior doctors. Sometimes other specialist doctors, such as a surgeon, will also be involved in your baby’s treatment.

Depending on your baby’s individual needs, other professionals may also help with their care, including physiotherapists, radiographers, pharmacists and dieticians.

Transport

Get Directions

From M5 Junction 25 Take M5 link road and follow signs to Taunton and the A38 (signposted for Wellington and Exeter). This is a ring road which takes you round the south west side of Taunton (the hospital is a fair distance from junction 25). Turn left into Parkfield Road at the traffic lights at the bottom of Compass Hill. The hospital is well signposted virtually all the way. From M5 Junction 26 Follow eastbound A38 to Taunton (about 5 miles). Just beyond the Crematorium, take the second exit from the roundabout into Wellington Road (signposted Taunton). Turn right into the Hospital at the second set of traffic lights. NB – Travellers coming from Bristol outside peak hours: it is frequently quicker to leave the motorway at Junction 26 and come back into Taunton on the A38 eastbound.From A303/A358 A303 to Ilminster. Leave the Ilminster bypass on the A358 signposted for Taunton. On the outskirts of the town, the A358 goes under the M5 (Junction 25). Directions then as paragraph 1.

Transport Options

Taunton’s Park & Ride – easy way to get into Taunton by car. These are two sites, one on each side of the town and both are easy to get to wherever you’re starting from.Directions to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton (Taunton Deane) with public transport.The following transport lines have routes that pass near Musgrove:Bus: 12, 22, 28, 29, 3, 97Train: Great Western Railway

Parking

Travel to our community hospitals and mental health sitesThere is no charge for parking at our community hospitals and mental health sites, although parking at some of them can be pressured at times.Travel to Musgrove Park Hospital Car parking is limited at at Musgrove Park Hospital and there can be delays in getting a park at peak times. If you are driving to the hospital, you may want to consider Taunton’s park and ride which can be a cheaper alternative to parking onsite.Drop off pointsMusgrove Park has two main access roads – Wellington Road and Park Field Drive. The hospital map shows the entrance points and you can drop off patients and visitors outside any of the main building entrances.Parking your car at MusgroveIf you are coming to Musgrove Park Hospital by car, we have onsite parking in the Cedars multi-storey car park. There is a smaller surface car park outside the Duchess Building. You can find details on the hospital site map and locations are clearly signposted around the hospital site.The hospital’s car parks are managed by Q Park on behalf of the hospital.Parking chargesDue to the coronavirus pandemic, the car park at Musgrove Park Hospital is currently free of charge, however, there are also visiting restrictions in place. Please see our home page for further information.Outside of the coronavirus pandemic, parking charges (as of April 2019) are as follows:Up to 1 hour £1.70Up to 2 hours £4.20Up to 4 hours £6.80Over 4 hours and up to 24 hours £11.00Lost car park tickets are £11.00You can pay parking charges with cash or credit and debit cards (excluding American Express). Please note: the car parking ticket payment machines do not accept £20 notes.Reduced parking charges If you are visiting the hospital three or more times a week, for a prolonged period of time, we can offer concessionary parking rates.Senior nurses in our outpatient department can offer concessionary parking rates to people who visit the department frequently. You can download the reduced parking rate request form here. These are considered on a case-by-case basis.Disabled parking

• We have 23 disabled parking spaces in the Duchess 2 car park. We also have a number of disabled drop-off areas:
• Next to the main entrance to our Jubilee Building
• At the entrance to our Beacon Centre
• At our children’s ward main entrance
• In front of our emergency department
• Outside our maternity unit.

How to use the barrier car parks

• Please note that all of the car parks on the hospital site are operated by barriers.
• Drive up to the barrier
• Press the button and take the ticket
• After parking, please keep your ticket with you
• Pay for your ticket on your return at the pay machines
• Drive to the exit barrier and insert your ticket.