Maternity and neonatal facilities at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead are set to benefit from a £12 million investment to support major improvements for women, babies, families and staff.
The strategic Estates Safety Funding, announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Yvette Cooper on Wednesday 9 September, will support a wider programme of work being delivered by Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust and QE Facilities.
The plans include a new modular maternity theatre, refurbishment and reconfiguration of existing maternity areas, improvements to essential infrastructure and a new connection between maternity services and the main hospital.
The maternity estate at the QE has developed over many years and now needs significant investment to make sure the environment continues to support the way maternity and neonatal care is delivered today and in the future.
One of the most important changes will be the new connection between maternity services and the main hospital. At present, the maternity building is physically separate, which can make transfers between services more complex, particularly when urgent care is needed. The new link will create a more direct route between the two.
The programme will also improve the layout and condition of the maternity environment, strengthen essential infrastructure and provide more modern, better-connected facilities.
“This is a significant investment in maternity and neonatal services in Gateshead and, importantly, in the women, babies and families who use them.
“Our maternity teams already provide high-quality, compassionate care, but the environment they work in has developed over many years and does not always support them as well as it should.
“This investment gives us the opportunity to improve those facilities, make services better connected and provide an environment that supports excellent care both now and in the future.”
Beth Swanson, Chief Nurse and Professional Lead for Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals at Gateshead Health.
Dr Fiaz Ahmad, Associate Medical Director for the Division of Surgery, Women’s Health and Children, said:
“One of the most important changes will be the new direct link between maternity services and the main hospital. This will make it much easier for women who need urgent or more complex care to access services such as imaging and critical care, without the current separation between the two buildings.
“The way maternity care is delivered has changed over recent years, including an increase in operative deliveries and the need for greater support from other hospital services. This investment will give maternity teams a much better connection into the wider hospital and help us respond more quickly when that support is needed.”
The improvements are expected to support better privacy and dignity for women and families, improve the flow between services and provide a better working environment for maternity and neonatal teams. These are areas that have also been raised through previous staff, service user and Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership engagement.
Karen Parker, Associate Director of Midwifery/SCBU said:
“For women and families, this is about having facilities that better support the care we provide every day.
“The changes will improve the environment, privacy and dignity and make it easier to move between services when needed. For staff, it will also mean better working environments and facilities designed around the way maternity and neonatal care is delivered today.”
QE Facilities is leading the estates and construction delivery of the programme, working closely with Gateshead Health, maternity teams and delivery partners.
Damon Kent, Managing Director of QE Facilities, said:
“This is a major programme of work within a live hospital environment, so careful planning will be essential.
“We will work closely with maternity and neonatal teams throughout to manage the work in phases and minimise disruption for women, families and staff.
“The investment will allow us to make significant improvements to the estate while strengthening the infrastructure that supports these services for the longer term.”
The detailed construction programme is still being developed but is expected to be completed in 2027. Further information on timescales, phasing and how staff and service users will be involved as the plans progress will be shared as this is confirmed.
The £12 million national funding supports the current maternity improvement programme. Future phases of the wider maternity masterplan remain subject to further funding and approval.