WORK has begun on a £4million building programme at Poole Hospital’s maternity unit to help it cope with an expected 1,400 extra births a year.

The redevelopment at St Mary’s will provide 13 more maternity beds and three birthing pools.

The midwife-led birthing unit will be completely refurbished and relocated, with new en-suite facilities and antenatal ward layout.

A self-contained bereavement suite will have two en-suite rooms and a separate entrance and exit to give bereaved parents and their families greater privacy.

Sandra Chitty, head of midwifery, said: “The increase in capacity at St Mary’s is extremely welcome, and supports us in our aims of offering the very best birth experience possible.

“The new birthing centre with its improved facilities for water births will be led by the community midwives, and will mean much better continuity of care for women classed as low risk patients.

“The relocation of existing and additional antenatal beds just down the corridor from the high risk birthing suite means that women who are being induced, or might be classed as slightly higher risk, will have increased access to doctors should they need it.”

She added: “Much has been said about the need for maternity services to keep pace with demand, and this investment will ensure Poole Hospital has the capacity to do so.”

Daniel Lockyer, neonatal unit matron, said: “The biggest difference will be the increased amount of space around the cots, which will significantly improve privacy.”

The £4m investment is part of £6.2m allocated to improving maternity care at Poole Hospital in recent years, £40,000 of which came from government funding to provide new birthing pools.

The extra birthing pools, bringing the total to five, and the 13 extra maternity beds will be available by the end of this year.

The improvements to the neonatal unit are due to be completed by March 2014.