Changes to Stratford Maternity Facility Services

13 November 2014

Maternity Services Taranaki Ltd, the current provider of Primary Maternity Facility services in Stratford has recently advised Taranaki DHB that they are unable to keep the Stratford Maternity Unit- Te Whare Whanau unit open as of 7am on the 15 November until further notice.

Becky Jenkins, Taranaki DHB General Manager Planning, Funding & Population said “The change to this service is very unexpected and we have been advised this is due to an acute shortage of staff. Our immediate priority is to ensure continuity of care for women and babies who were planning to access care at Stratford Maternity Unit.”

“We want to reassure women who were booked to receive care at Stratford they will be able to access quality maternity services at either Taranaki Base or Hawera Hospitals. Both of these units operate 24/7 services and are able to accommodate additional patients,” she said.

“Lead Maternity Carers (LMC’s) will be contacting women who were planning to use the Stratford Maternity Unit facility in the next month to discuss changes to their patient’s birth plan and which facility is best for them.” said Ms Jenkins.

“We also encourage women to contact their LMC as soon as possible to discuss these changes,” she added.

Taranaki DHB will continue to explore options for providing m aternity services for Stratford women over the coming weeks and will provide further details as they are available.

ENDS

For more information please call –
Cressida Gates, Media Advisor, Ph 027 703 6177

Last updated: Friday, November 14, 2014