When you arrive in Maternity Assessment Unit

Welcome to Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU).

The midwives you will see in MAU are not the midwives who you spoke to on the phone before arriving. There is a different team answering the phone so that you get the help you need quickly.

• When you arrive, the midwife aims to see you within 15 minutes
• The midwife will ask you about your reasons for coming to MAU, 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 level of care you need. Your midwife will explain to you the urgency of care needed depending on your initial assessment:

The team in MAU aim to keep your waiting time to a minimum, however, during busy times, or emergencies, there is a chance that your wait may be longer than expected. They are very sorry if this happens. They thank you for your patience with this and will keep you updated as much as they can. There might be other patients who need to be seen ahead of you depending on people’s reasons for coming to MAU. Thank you for your understanding and please inform the team if anything changes during your waiting time.

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.

Please help yourself to drinks and let the team know if there is anything you need while you are with them.

You might find it helpful to look through some of the following information while you are waiting:

• Vaccines during pregnancy
• Your baby’s movements
• Visiting times and information
• Induction of labour
• How to provide feedback