kings college hospital maternity
London
We are a leading London maternity hospital and care for more than 8,000 pregnant
women and birthing people and their babies each year. We provide all aspects of
obstetric and midwifery care, from before conception and before birth
(antenatal) to birth and after delivery (postnatal). The majority of pregnant
women and people will be cared for by our expert team of midwives who are
experienced in supporting those with uncomplicated pregnancies and births. When
your circumstances are more complex, our specialist obstetric doctors and allied
health professionals will work alongside your midwife to give you the care and
support your need to have a safe and satisfying birth. You will have your own
ideas about how you would like your baby to be born – whether at home or in
hospital – and we do our best to help you to achieve this. We have obstetric-led
birthing rooms, midwife-led birth suites with birth pools, obstetric theatres
for both planned and emergency caesareans, and a homebirth service. Are you
pregnant and want to have your baby with King's? You do not have to see your GP
before contacting us. Please complete the King's College Hospital antenatal
self-referral form to refer yourself and send to
kch-tr.antenatalreferral@nhs.net. We will then email you with a reference number
to confirm we have received your referral. Your first appointments with the
midwife and scanning team will be sent to you either via post or email. Please
note we may contact and share information with other health professionals as
required. We see pregnant women and people who live in the below postcode areas
in Lambeth, Southwark, and Lewisham. Referrals from those who live outside this
catchment area will also be considered: SW2, SW4, SW8, SW9, SW16 SE1, SE4, SE5,
SE11, SE14, SE15, SE16, SE17, SE19, SE21, SE22, SE23, SE24, SE25, SE26, SE27 CR7
Antenatal care (before the birth) This is provided by the midwifery team caring
for women and pregnant people in your local area, alongside your GP or
obstetrician. During your pregnancy, you will have regular appointments to make
sure you and your baby are well. You will be offered routine health checks such
as blood tests and other screenings, you can read more about the different
scans, tests and antenatal care you can expect on the NHS website. Your
screening choices are explained in this screening information leaflet, which is
produced by Public Health England and available in several languages. We also
provide care if screening finds you have an infectious disease, including
Hepatitis B, HIV or syphilis. Badger Notes You can access your pregnancy notes
and leaflets via the Badger Notes website or app. Your account will be activated
after your first midwife appointment. You can use the digital maternity notes
platform to communicate with your care team and we recommend you use the
‘Conversations’ option to share your birth preferences with us before your
birth. Your midwife can help you with this. Clinic and scan locations Read your
appointment letter carefully to see where to go for your appointments, because
these are held at a variety of locations. This includes children’s centres, GP
and health centres, and a number of buildings on the King's site, including
Stork on the Hill, Midwives House and the Community Midwives Centre. Ultrasound
(nuchal) scans take place in the Harris Birthright Centre, in the Fetal Medicine
Research Institute. Buildings on the hospital site are shown on the King's
campus map. Parent education classes We offer a range of online workshops to
help prepare you for birth and baby. Join the 'Welcome to King’s Maternity'
workshop in your first trimester to learn more about how to stay healthy in
pregnancy, the services we offer, and other workshops that may be suitable for
you. To sign up to a workshop, go to our parent education Eventbrite page. Email
kch-tr.parenteducation@nhs.net for more information. Urgent advice If you need
urgent advice and are: pregnant and currently receiving care at King's; have
just given birth at King's; or have had a home birth with King's: 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week: Telephone Assessment Line +44 (0)20 3299 8389 Monday-Friday,
9am-5pm: contact the midwifery team leading your care Out of hours: contact the
Nightingale Birth Centre. Where to give birth You can choose to give birth: in
the Nightingale Birth Centre at King’s at home with the help of our
community-based midwives, if you live in King’s catchment area. Our Maternity
Department is on the third and fourth floors of the Golden Jubilee Wing and
includes the Nightingale Birth Centre. Our facilities include 10 labour rooms,
operating theatres, recovery rooms and a high dependency unit (HDU). Midwife-led
birthing suite You have the choice of two midwife-led birthing rooms, each with
a birthing pool and their own shower and toilet, where we have created a ‘home
from home’ feel for your birth environment. Homebirth Our home birth midwife
team (called Phoenix) provide a home birth service within the King’s catchment
area. If you are interested in this option, indicate this on your antenatal
self-referral form, or contact your community midwife. We will support women and
birthing people to make informed choices about where they would like to birth
their babies. There may be instances when a home birth might not be recommended,
and your midwife or doctor can discuss these with you. Neonatal Unit Babies who
need special care are looked after in the Neonatal Unit by our specialist team,
it is located opposite Nightingale Birth Centre on the fourth floor of Golden
Jubilee Wing. Anthony Nolan umbilical cord blood donation If you give birth at
King’s College Hospital, you can help save the life of someone with blood cancer
by donating your umbilical cord blood to the Anthony Nolan Cord Blood Programme
after you give birth. We are one of five hospitals in the UK where women can
donate their umbilical cords. Please watch this short animation about donating
your cord blood. If you would like to register to donate cord blood, please
speak with your midwife or one of the dedicated cord blood collectors at King’s
College Hospital. Find out more about Anthony Nolan’s Cord blood programme and
their lifesaving work. If you have any questions about cord blood donation,
please get in touch with the team at Anthony Nolan:
Cord.Collection@anthonynolan.org After the birth (postnatal) If everything with
your birth has been uncomplicated we encourage you to go home within a few
hours. You can contact the maternity unit at any time day or night if you have
any concerns. If you or your baby needs to stay in hospital for additional care
you will be transferred to William Gilliatt postnatal ward for the remainder of
your stay. This ward contains four-bedded bays and shared bathrooms. You and
your baby room in together and birth partners are able to visit 24 hours a day.
Going home Our care does not stop once you are at home. When you leave King’s
you should have a visit from your community midwife within 24 hours. They will
plan visits with you over the next 10 days. If you live outside King’s area your
details will be passed to your local community midwives who will take over your
care. If you would like support with breastfeeding, we have specialist infant
feeding midwives who offer virtual workshops and in-person support via referral
from your community midwife. Get involved If you'd like to help us improve our
maternity services for parents and babies, join the King’s Maternity Voices
Partnership (MVP). Feedback Friends and Family You can tell us what you did and
didn’t like about your care by completing the Friends and Family feedback form,
it only takes a couple of minutes and you can comment on your antenatal, birth
and postnatal ward or postnatal community care. PALS The Patient Advice and
Liaison Service (PALS) is a service that offers support, information and
assistance to patients, relatives and visitors. They can also provide help and
advice if you have a concern or complaint that staff have not been able to
resolve for you.
