Trust Board Febuary 2010 - Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals

SWBTB (2/10) 045 (a)
From the completed questionnaires the assessment of options was:
• Option 1 Was the preferred option for 201 (26%) people
• Option 2 Was the preferred option for 185 (24%) people
• Option 3 Was the preferred option for 327 (42%) people
In addition:
• 24 (3%) people stated on the form that they did not wish to chose any of the above options and
• a further 43 (5.5%) people completed the questionnaire but did not chose an option.
On the basis of the above, Option 3 is clearly the preferred option from public consultation.
Across all the options, there were a number of commonly raised concerns and these have been
summarised below.
Table 5: Common Concerns Raised in Public Consultation
Issue
Concerns
Travel • The distance between where people lived and
City Hospital
• Women were also concerned about the potential
travelling time when they were in pain.
• The time it would take to get from where they
lived to City Hospital, particularly during peak
travel times.
• Women who knew they had shorter or more
spontaneous labours were concerned whether or
not they would get to City Hospital in time to give
birth.
• The time it would take to reach City Hospital in an
emergency.
• The ability of the ambulance services to cope with
any increases in demand.
• The increased cost of travel was a common issue
• The transfer time from a stand alone Midwife-Led
Unit to City Hospital for any low risk women who
experienced unexpected complications in labour
or delivery.
• A number of people raised concerns about the
lack of public transport routes/links between parts
of Sandwell and City Hospital.
Parking • The capacity of the City Hospital site to cope with
the additional staff and visitor parking
requirements.
Visiting • Increased travelling time and increased or
additional travel costs for visitors.
• Visiting hours at City Hospital were felt to be
shorter and less flexible.
Capacity from increased births at • Access to birthing pools and other choices for
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