Morning:
8°c
Clinic to revolutionise ante-natal care
Sophie Goodchild, Health Editor14 Oct 2008
THE world's leading pregnancy expert, Professor Kypros Nicolaides, today reveals his plans to revolutionise maternity care for women in the capital.
The eminent doctor and ultrasound pioneer is set to open the first NHS pregnancy clinic offering all women early ante-natal screening.
In an exclusive interview with the Standard, Professor Nicolaides said the state-of-the-art centre will be the first model for similar clinics across the UK.
Professor Nicolaides, the director of King's College Hospital's foetal medicine unit, said: "I believe that pregnancy is a normal event and we shouldn't be putting women in hospitals. People often have a conflict between technology and the fact birth is natural. But the two are complementary. My vision is a centre equipped with the best facilities in the most natural environment."
His charity, the Fetal Medicine Foundation, has paid £3 million for the site in Denmark Hill.
The centre will be part of King's College but is separate from the main hospital. It will offer free care to any woman in a relaxing, "art gallery" environment.
Early screening is crucial for detecting abnormalities such as spinal tumours in unborn babies, letting doctors correct problems in the womb through keyhole surgery but many women are unable to obtain free 12-week tests unless there is a family history of health problems.
This means high-risk women often do not receive the care they need and may be faced with a late termination.
Women in London are also being denied choice over where they give birth because of midwife shortages.Professor Nicolaides said his new centre will identify high-risk patients so they can experience the best pregnancy possible.
The doctor, who developed an early test for Down's syndrome, said: "At the moment ante-natal clinics are packed with low-risk patients which means the time devoted to those with problems is severely limited."
Midwives will be on hand to advise expectant mothers. Women will not give birth there but doctors will perform operations on babies in the womb.
Reader views (2)
Congratulations to Prof Nicolaides.
This sound like a brilliant idea and we wish him all the success.
We send our blood tests for the Combined Test to the Fetal Medicine Center and hope that the new clinic does not spell the end of the Harley Street facility.
Our 12 Week Nuchal Scans are very popular and it would be shame for the women of London and the UK if we were to lose access to the FMF laboratory.
However we applaud any improvements to the current national screening system.
- Peter Demetris, London, UK, 27/10/2008 10:49
Report abuse
This is fantastic news.
I have already set up similar clinics for NHS pregant women to get their prenatal tests in their community GP surgery, along with their miwifery care. It works well.
We do not do fetal surgery and refer our high risk women to Professor Nicoladies.
However we struggle to implement the best tests sometimes as we are hampered by screening committees who are not always willing to say that these are appropriate, or more likely because the best tests cost slightly more money. PCT's who fund these services take advice from the screening committees but only wish to spend the minimum to fund tests.
Hence women do not always get the best available test and this can mean women are faced with having unnecessary invasive procedures which can cause a miscarriage of a healthy baby.
All women should have free access to the most accurate and safest tests available if they wish to have them.
Women are not being told which are the best tests and this leaves them in a vulnerable position which they are not aware of.
Women need to know that there is a huge discrepancy of accurate screening tests across the UK. Thanks to Professor Nicolaides women wil become aware of this.
- Sally Hill, Oxted, Surrey, 14/10/2008 18:40
Report abuse
