Campaign image for Born at the Beach, promoting a new building

Transforming maternity care

In April 2025 University Hospitals Dorset opens a brand-new maternity and neonatal unit at its BEACH building on the Royal Bournemouth Hospital site where the teams will welcome over 4,400 babies!

This new state-of-the-art unit will replace the current maternity facility at Poole Hospital and will be one of the options for local parents to be to consider when deciding where to give birth.

The new site will offer everything parents need for a smooth journey from pregnancy to birth and beyond.

READ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

“We know our expecting parents have been waiting a long time for this, and we’re so excited to bring these new services to Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

It will be sad to leave our current site at St Mary’s, but from April 2025, we will have a brighter future in our new enhanced, modern, and updated birthing environment.”

Kerry Taylor, UHD’s head of midwifery

Kerry Taylor, UHD’s head of midwifery

What you can expect

  • A new purpose-built premises for antenatal, birth and post-natal care

  • Fantastic facilities, with individual rooms and additional sleep chairs for partners, family supporters or carers.

  • Improved experience for those expecting and their families

  • No transfers between hospitals for complex patients or complications/emergencies

  • A large level 2 neonatal centre which is the only level 2 unit in Wessex currently

  • The neonatal centre will support some babies requiring support from across the region

  • The neonatal unit will continue to work closely with Dorchester, Southampton and Portsmouth to provide the best and most appropriate care for your babies.

  • Benefit of being on the same site as the Emergency Department, Critical Care Unit and Children’s Health department.

Back Our BEACH appeal

In April 2024, our charity launched its biggest ever fundraising appeal! University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity is raising £1.5 million to ensure the new BEACH Building has everything it needs to enable us to provide the best possible care to our patients and to take our healthcare into the future – above and beyond what the NHS will fund.

By supporting this fundraising appeal, you will be a part of the milestones we will be making to help our hospitals meet the needs of even more patients for generations to come. If you choose to donate – thank you.

Back Our Beach appeal

“We are so excited about the new building and know it will have such a positive impact on the experiences of local families accessing maternity and neonatal services.

We have been involved in the design of the new site since Dorset Maternity Voices was established in 2017, and we can’t wait for local parents to experience everything the new building has to offer.”

Rachel, maternity and neonatal voice lead representative

Rachel, maternity and neonatal voice lead representative

Frequently asked questions

We are really excited to say that partners will be able to stay overnight on the antenatal ward and postnatal ward. This is something we have struggled to facilitate for all families in the current building which is not ideal. The new rooms are large and spacious, with wonderful views over Dorset.

All of our rooms of the Haven will have a birthing pool option as well as several rooms on the Labour Ward.

Yes, our Haven midwife-led unit will be moving with us. The layout will be similar to the current unit whereby it is its own separate department, but it is based on the same floor as the labour ward. We are hopeful that we will be better able to facilitate birthing people in the early stages of labour due to the extra space and capacity available.

Almost all of the rooms are sole occupancy to help give you your own space. We have a 4 bedded bay on the postnatal ward which is where people are most likely to be placed should they require closer monitoring initially. Our intention will be to move people into their own rooms as soon as there is space, and it is safe to do so.

We do not have all of this information as yet, but we do know that there will be a drop off and collection point right at the front of the BEACH building.

Community midwifery appointments will remain in the local vicinity to families, but all other maternity appointments will occur in the BEACH building, including scans, antenatal clinic appointments and urgent midwifery care appointments.

This is always an option for people. For anyone wishing to transfer their care they should have a discussion with their community midwife who will advise them of the process and ensure that there is an opportunity to handover care to the new hospital provider.

We have a wonderful clerical team who will ensure that nearer the time people are made aware of where and when their appointments will take place.

On average one baby per month is born before arrival of staff, either at home, on route or right outside our maternity unit. We do not expect this to increase. However, if at any point you think the baby is going to arrive sooner than planned, we advise that you stay where you are and contact 999. If you are en route, pull the car over to a safe space, place on the hazard lights and call 999 for support. They will give clear instructions on what to do and send emergency help.

The BEACH Building spans over six floors and in addition to the new maternity and neonatal unit, it will include a children’s unit, an enhanced emergency department, and a larger critical care facility.

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