Maternity open day

Maternity open day

Rangiora Hospital is holding an open afternoon next week to promote its recently refurbished primary birthing unit – that’s been made possible thanks to Canterbury District Health Board and community funders.

Rangiora Hospital Charge Midwife and Nurse Manager Suzanne Salton says the open afternoon is to showcase the refurbishments and encourage more woman to birth at the unit, or transfer for postnatal care from Christchurch Women’s Hospital.

“We would like to see more women living in the North Canterbury region utilise the unit to its full capacity,’’ she says.

The unit has seven maternity beds, two birthing rooms and four general convalescent beds. About 100 women birth at the unit each year while a further 300 transfer from Christchurch Women’s for postnatal care.

However, Rangiora Maternity could accommodate double the number of births and an extra 100 transfers for postnatal.

The cost of the renovations have totalled nearly $30,000, with Rangiora Hospital Trust Fund donating $13,846 for installation of new wall vinyl and lockers and Canterbury District Health Board funding $10,225 for paint and furnishings.

Friends of Rangiora Hospital also donated $6020 towards the cost of new lounge suites, side tables, notice boards and framed prints, while the remainder was funded by the New Zealand College of Midwives ($200), Patient Donations ($250).

NZCOM Canterbury/West Coast Region co-chair, Yvonne Hiskemuller says the donation to Rangiora Hospital’s primary birthing unit were to mark the 20 year anniversary of midwives being able to autonomously provide women centred care without being “overseen” by a doctor.

Mrs Salton says the renovations are a vast improvement to modernise the rooms.

“And there has been really positive feedback from the mothers who have used them since the upgrades,’’ she says.

The open afternoon will be held on Wednesday, 8 December 2010 from 1pm – 4pm and includes hourly tours of the hospital between at 1.30pm to 3.30pm.

There are 20 Lead Maternity Carers (LMCs) who work in North Canterbury with four based at Rangiora Hospital.

ENDS

© Scoop Media