Having your baby during planned strike action
Published on 22/12/2022
Our maternity services will be running as usual during the strike action planned between noon and midnight on Wednesday 28 December and over the coming weeks.
There will be fewer ambulances on the road, so people giving birth will need to plan how they come into hospital that day. Ambulances will still respond to emergencies, especially if there is an immediate risk to life.
If you are due to give birth and have any worries, or think you are in labour, please contact us for advice as early as possible on the following details.
Heartlands Hospital’s Princess of Wales Unit
Good Hope Hospital’s Maternity Unit
If you are planning a home birth around this time, your midwife will speak to you about what this means for your care.
Our hospitals offer different levels of care to babies who are born early or premature. If you are experiencing symptoms of labour including your waters breaking, contractions or tightening, before you are 28 weeks pregnant or before six months, we want to make sure that you are seen in the right place if your baby is going to be born early.
If you experience any signs of symptoms of early labour before you are 28 weeks or six months pregnant, please contact the team at Princess of Wales Maternity Unit directly on the following numbers, and they will be able to advise you on the best place to be seen, as transfers between our hospitals may be subject to delays during the strike.
GP and inpatient services are not impacted by this strike action. Please continue to attend your GP and hospital appointments unless you are contacted and told otherwise.
Where the situation is not life-threatening, alternative support will be available through NHS 111 online or via NHS 111, and where possible, it is advised that you arrange alternative transport.
For more information on when to call 999 and when to go to A&E, you can visit the NHS website.
