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Hello Di I am interested to read "First Class Delivery" - is this document available onthe web. Maggie Banks 15 Te Awa Road, RD 3, Hamilton, New Zealand Ph: 64 7 856 4612 Fax: 64 7 856 3070 Website at www.birthspirit.co.nz Email: [log in to unmask] ----- Original Message ----- From: dianne sandland To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 2:02 AM Subject: a wonderful opportunity hello all I am a midwife working in a small consultant led unit in the West Country - we have about 1300 births per year. Up until recently I have always been a 'labour ward midwife' taking great pride and pleasure in securing as natural and normal a birth as possible for the women in my care who, for one reason or another, are birthing their babies in hospital. I have recently become increasingly concerned that the care I give and the positive feelings with which I hope to leave 'my' women can all be destroyed when they go to the postnatal ward. We do, wherever possible, provide facilities for early discharge to the community - not infrequently direct from labour ward. However, as we all know, some women need to stay in for health reasons and some (quite frequently multips who say they 'want the rest') stay in electively. I am not telling any of you anything new by saying that postnatal care is the cinderella of the maternity service. We are moving towards integrated care but I will still have a core of women who will continue to use hospital postnatal services and staff. How can we make things better for these women. I have always been a person who, rather than bemoan things, acts in an attempt to instigate change. Therefore, I have now taken on the management role for the postnatal care within our hospital. I have a very supportive head of midwifery who has virtually given me a blank sheet on which to write. This fairly lengthy preamble is to give you a background prior to my asking for your advice, suggestions etc. I am committed to getting input from the women themselves and, to this end, have written to Beverley Beech of AIMS to see if she has any useful contacts. I also have a copy of the audit commissions First Class Delivery but experience is the greatest teacher. Have any of you been here before and redesigned your units postnatal services, are you aware of any useful literature covering the hospital postnatal period? I look forward to reading your replies Regards Di Sandland