Industrial action is scheduled to take place on 11th & 23rd January 2023 by staff at North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS).
During this time, life-threatening emergencies will be prioritised and long waits for ambulances are to be expected.
Most services at Liverpool Women’s will be running as normal but we would ask all patients to consider how you would come to hospital in an emergency on both days if you needed to.
For the latest updates from NWAS please visit their website here: https://www.nwas.nhs.uk/
Advice for women planning a homebirth
During this period of industrial action by North West Ambulance Service, it is important that anyone planning a homebirth is aware that there is no guarantee that an ambulance or paramedic will be available to come to your home in the event of an emergency. Significant waiting times are also to be expected.
If you are planning a homebirth and your due date is close to these dates, you will have already received a letter from us to advise how this may impact on your care if you choose to continue with a homebirth. For those who choose to come into the hospital, our Homebirth Team will be on hand to support you through labour in our Maternity Led Unit (MLU).
Although we aim to provide freedom of choice to all women, it is important that you take time to consider the above. If you would like to talk about this in more detail, please contact your midwife as soon as possible.
Contacting us in an emergency
- Telephone Triage Service – please call 0151 702 4140
The Gynaecology Emergency Department (GED) is a specialist A&E unit for women who need emergency care of an acute gynaecological problem (problems related to the female reproductive system) or self-referral of women having a problem in early pregnancy (up to 19 weeks and 6 days gestation), such as pain, bleeding or severe vomiting.
If you are not pregnant but have abdominal pain or vaginal bleeding, you can contact this unit if you feel your case is an emergency, otherwise you should call 111 for further advice or see your General Practitioner (GP) to be assessed and they can discuss your case with the on-call gynaecology team if required.
All other emergencies should attend a general accident and emergency department.
- Concerns during your pregnancy
If you are pregnant and have any concerns during this period, please speak to your midwife in the first instance. Alternatively, you will find a list of useful contact numbers here for various departments and teams within Maternity: https://www.liverpoolwomens.nhs.uk/contact-us/contact-numbers/