The Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You can come to MAU from 16 weeks of pregnancy until 6 weeks after your baby is born.
MAU is like an Emergency Department (A&E) for pregnancy. We are here if you have urgent worries or problems during pregnancy or after your baby is born.
You can call MAU for advice on 0116 258 6111, press option 1.
You can find the phone number in your Badger Notes App under ‘hospital contacts’.
If you have any concerns, please call us before coming to the hospital if you can.
If you are worried about yourself or your baby, you can come straight to the Maternity Assessment Unit. However, calling us first helps us understand what is happening so we can help you as quickly as possible in the right place. If you cannot call us, you can still come to the hospital. Whether you call first or come straight in, you will receive the same care. We see people based on who needs help most quickly.
When you call Telephone Triage, you will speak to a trained midwife.
Please have your hospital ‘S’ number ready if you can.
They will ask you about your pregnancy and what you are worried about.
The midwife may give you advice over the phone, or they may ask you to come to a Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU) so we can check you and your baby.
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Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU) locations
Leicester Royal Infirmary
Kensington Building, 1st floor, LE1 5WW
When you arrive, go to Maternity Reception on the ground floor
Give the receptionist your details. They will tell you where to go
When you reach the 1st floor, follow the signs to MAU. The entrance is near the lifts
Ring the doorbell and a member of staff will let you in
Leicester General Hospital
Maternity Entrance, off Coleman Road LE5 4PW
When you arrive, go through the Maternity Entrance. You will see Maternity Reception in front of you, on the left
Give the receptionist your details. They will tell you where to go
The door to MAU is on the right and clearly signposted
Press the buzzer and a member of staff will let you in
The team will help you get to the right MAU.
Sometimes, this may be at a different hospital from the one you usually attend. This will depend on the care you need and how busy our MAUs are.
When you call Telephone Triage, the midwife will tell you which MAU to go to.
Common reasons for contacting MAU include:
Tummy (abdominal) pain
Bad headaches with blurred vision or flashing spots in front of your eyes (visual disturbances)
If you have noticed your baby is moving differently to normal
Vaginal bleeding
Suspected waters breaking (rupture of your membranes)
Your community midwife may refer you to MAU during one of your routine antenatal appointments. Common reasons for referral in from your community midwife include:
high blood pressure (hypertension)
concerns about your baby’s heartbeat
When to call the MAU
Take at look at the poster below from Tommy’s with advice on when to call the maternity unit, midwife or GP.
You will be asked to bring your maternity notes with you
When you arrive, the midwife aims to see you within first 15 minutes
The midwife will ask the reasons you have attended, take basic tests, and check your baby’s well-being.
At Leicester Hospitals, the Birmingham Symptom specific Obstetric Triage System (BSOTS) is used to quickly assess the immediate level of care you require. You will be put into one of four categories depending on your symptoms:
Red – Emergency, immediate treatment needed
Orange – Priority, aim to give further care within 15 minutes
Yellow – Further assessment, aim to give further care within 1 hour
Green – Non-urgent, aim to give further care within 4 hours
If you are ‘Yellow’ or ‘Green’, you will be asked to leave the triage room and wait in the waiting area until there is a midwife and bed space available.
If you are ‘Orange,’ you will be seen in either the triage room, or another space nearby.
If you are ‘Red’, you will stay in the triage room and be seen immediately.
The midwife caring for you will let you know which category you are placed in.
After the midwife has seen you, a further plan will be made, either:
You will be discharged home
You will need to be seen by one of the doctors. If you need to see a doctor, you will again be asked to wait in chairs until the doctor and space is available.
Please be advised, the doctors work in various departments in the hospital. This means when there are emergency situations, there may be a wait to be seen. Please be aware the staff in MAU are aware that you are waiting and will be trying to get you seen as soon as there is someone available.
Due to space, please only bring one person to MAU with you (please avoid bringing children into this area).
Please feel free to bring food and drinks with you.
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust is responsible for the writing, publishing and updating of the content on this page.
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust runs a confidential secure text messaging service for parents of children aged 0-19 years called Chat Health. The service operates Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, excluding bank holidays. All texts will be responded to by a public health nurse (health visitor/school nurse) within 24 hours. Outside of the service working hours, you’ll receive a message back to inform you that your text will be responded to once the line reopens.
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust runs the Healthy Together Helpline for parents and carers in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. The Helpline’s qualified health and administrative professionals offer easy to access, safe and free advice, support and signposting. Calls are answered from 9am – 4.30pm on weekdays, excluding bank holidays. Calls are charged at the same rate as calling a standard landline number.
Should you require urgent health advice in the meantime, please contact your GP, visit an NHS walk-in centre or call NHS 111. For emergencies, dial 999 or visit A&E.
Should you need urgent health advice please contact your GP or call NHS 111. In an emergency please visit A&E or call 999
