Maternity services in Truro celebrated a delivery with a difference today, as a project to create a new postnatal ward was completed at the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

The newly refurbished Wheal Fortune opened its doors to new parents, marking the first phase of refurbishments to the Princess Alexandra wing in order to make room for the development of enhanced neonatal care facilities and a new midwife-led birthing suite which will open in 2017.

Based in the former Wheal Agar ward to the rear of the maternity wing, Wheal Fortune now features a new dayroom and discharge lounge with views out onto a garden area, brand new shower facilities, a new ward kitchen, a purpose-built baby-care room, as well as five newly refurbished four bedded bays and six side rooms.

The newly refurbished link corridor, joining the rear of the ward and the outpatient corridor in the main building, ensure mothers and babies can be transferred quickly and privately to the ward without having to travel via the longer public route. Work to the corridors has also provided an improved waiting room for the gynaecology outpatients department, giving them an area with better privacy and access to natural light.

Izzy Julian, one of the project assistants for this development, revealed some of the challenges they faced with this new development.

She said: “Funding was one area that was extremely tight, with pressures to reduce costs where possible to make all three equally important phases of the scheme remain viable, while still meeting clinical and technical standards.

“The constraints of working in a live hospital environment are always tricky to navigate, requiring a balance to be struck between maintaining an efficient rate of progress on construction and the need to reduce the impact of noise, vibration, etc on surrounding in-patient and clinic areas.”

Izzy also explained how the maternity team has been involved in the project right through the design and implementation stage, which has proven invaluable in making the relocation happen so smoothly. She said: “Staff from the ward have often toured the works during the construction phase and made suggestions where additional improvements could be made to enhance the care and working environment.”

Mairead Archard, Wheal Fortune ward manager, was very pleased with how easily the move went, with no disruptions to parents, babies or staff.

She said: “Everyone seems very happy in their new environment, including the ward team.

“The new facilities we have are ideal for parents and their babies, allowing them to give their new arrivals the best start in life.”

Teresa Phillips, clinical midwifery lead for Community and Fetal medicine, has been delighted with the new relocation, and said: “Both staff and women are thrilled with the new ward, which is light, airy and has a welcoming feel to it.”

The next phase with the maternity and neonatal services development has now started, which will see the former Wheal Fortune converted into a new and expanded Neonatal Unit, with the aim to be completed around Easter 2017.