Margaret Oates Mother and Baby Unit

All bedrooms on the unit are ensuite and spacious so that babies can co-sleep with their mothers, with room for a cot and changing table.

Facilities for mothers and their families centre around a homely communal lounge and dining area. There is also a quiet room, a kitchen, a nursery, a sensory room, two bathrooms with full sized baths and a pram store.

The unit has a private garden and being set within the grounds of Hopewood it also benefits from access to extra green space and the wider community.

A range of therapies are offered to mothers and their babies alongside psychological therapies and occupational therapy sessions. These include anxiety management, relaxation, mindfulness, compassionate focused therapy, distraction techniques, distress tolerance and mental health promotion.

There is a programme of activities including mindfulness colouring, arts and crafts, walking to local parks, cooking, baking, shopping, a newspaper group, manicures and hand and foot massage.

The nursery nurses run mother and baby activities, including baby massage, baby yoga, sensory play, singing, story time, tummy time, weaning, recognising cues and safe sleep. Local charities also offer complementary therapies and creative therapies.

The main focus for mothers is to provide independent care for their baby. This is encouraged from admission with baby remaining with their mother, with as much support as needed from staff.

Upon admission, mothers will be seen by medical and nursing staff to gain a baseline assessment. Together with the mother, a care plan will be made for her and her baby.

Assessment will be ongoing, and progress will be discussed in the weekly multi-disciplinary team, where aims, objectives and discharge planning will be agreed. There will be increasing periods of leave home throughout admission, alongside ongoing support from staff, until discharge is agreed by everyone.

I can’t thank the staff enough for the support I received. I feel like a completely different person

Margaret Oates Mother and Baby Unit
Hopewood
Foster Drive
Nottingham
NG5 3FL

0115 952 9481 extension 12825

Email: perinatalinpatientunit@nottshc.nhs.uk

If you would like to make a referral please complete the universal referral form on the NHS Web Beds - Available beds and then email it to us at the above email address.