Balfour Hospital Maternity Unit, Orkney – ScotSTAR Scottish Neonatal Transport Service

Address

Balfour Maternity Unit
New Scapa Road
Kirkwall
KW15 1BH

Tel: 01856 888238

Aberdeen
G.P/Midwife on duty organises transfer to Aberdeen via ScotSTAR emergency line and Neonatal Transport Service

The Maternity Unit is a part of the Balfour Hospital. It is a 6 bedded unit with one delivery room.
There is a general theatre which we use for emergency and elective caesarean sections.
The Community is also covered from the unit. The birth rate is on average 150 per year with 50-60 booked for consultant delivery in Aberdeen each year.

Air ambulance is used to transport pregnant women either by fixed wing or helicopter.
Sick babies are transferred off island to wherever there is a cot by the Neonatal transport team.
There are also inter – island transfers for labouring women.
Close contact with Transport team and the Neonatal Unit in A.M.H is maintained whilst stabilising the neonate for transfer
Fixed wing would land at Kirkwall airport
3 ambulances on the island, 1 on call at night

Within the unit there are 2 labour and delivery rooms – one with a birthing pool, 2 resuscitaires, and facilities for ventouse, forceps and caesarean section deliveries, 2 ensuite postnatal rooms.
The Neonatal room offers a resuscitaire along with an incubator, overhead heater and equipment and for stabilisation and treatment. There is also a VC unit to allow visual assessment of the baby from external teams.

8 whole time equivalent midwives covering ward shifts and community to isles and mainland area, 1 bank in addition.
3 whole time equivalent Midwifery care assistants
0.4 ward clerk
1 G.P with a special interest who work on an call rota
1 locum obstetrician
2 general surgeons who perform caesarian sections
We provide 24 hours cover with an auxiliary and midwife on each shift and on call midwife for back up for emergencies, pre term and sick neonates, air ambulance, community cover and maternal transfers.