New facilities at Rectory Centre for Florence Park Midwives

Staff and service users at the opening of the new clinics at Rectory Centre

A community midwifery service is making the most of new facilities in Oxford after opening recently.

The Florence Park Midwives now have three additional clinic rooms, an additional office, and waiting space in the Rectory Centre in addition to their existing facilities on Rymers Lane.

The centre hosts a daily Maternity Support Worker clinic, where parents can bring their babies in the days following their birth for a weight and blood spot test. The clinic also offers infant feeding support and jaundice checks.

The Florence Park Midwives administrator is also based at the centre.

Since Monday 1 July, the Florence Park Midwives are now carrying out initial home visits, with all future appointments in the postnatal clinic at Rectory Road.

Wendy Hill, Matron for Community Services at OUH, said: "This is a really important space for our service users in the Cowley area. It will allow us to provide more appointments and more space for quality clinical care, as well as a more space for the team to work from.

"We are really grateful to our colleagues in the Oxford Hospitals Charity and their Silver Star Maternity Fund for helping us secure furniture for the space as well!"

Amanda Crudgington, Lead Community Midwife at Florence Park, said: "Our caseload covers antenatal and postnatal care of more than a thousand women in a year across both sites of Florence Park.

"The new clinical space is a huge support to us in providing additional space and extra facilities."

Milica Redfearn, Director of Midwifery at OUH, said: "It is fantastic to witness the dedication and effort demonstrated by the Florence Park midwives in creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for women and their families in Oxford.

"The hard work they have put in is remarkable, and it is great to see the positive impact they have made."

Yvonne Christley, Chief Nursing Officer at OUH, said: "This is a fantastic addition to the Florence Park Midwives and the excellent services they provide.

"This new facility offers a bigger and welcoming space to our patients and allows the midwives to continue providing their usual standard of compassionate care to mothers and families."