Service Available for Women with Special Needs

To meet the needs of all women with any disability, the service aims to:

- Overcome prejudice and barriers by offering equal access to services.

- Help women to make an informed choice about their care.

- Identify issues and areas of concern.

- Use adaptive and creative approaches to meet individual needs.

- Provide appropriate, accessible and accurate information.

This service is offered by the Special Needs Advisor, who is herself a woman with a disability, a nurse and a midwife; also a mother.

This service can offer:-

- Generally, an accessible environment:

- low level reception desk

- accessible, large toilets and baby changing areas

- public phones suitable for a seated person

- lift buttons are raised to the touch, and set at a low height

- pictorial signing, colour coded

- non-slip and differing flooring

- textured strips at the beginning of all stair runs

- pull cord switches for light

- lever taps

- Disabled car parking close to each hospital entrance.

- Information on wheelchair accessible taxis

- Use of wheelchair and porter assistance.

- Escort to wards/departments if blind or partially sighted.

- Induction loops are installed and available at main front, gynaecology out-patients and antenatal clinic receptions.

Other service available for anyone with a hearing impairment are, induction loops, use of a minicom, amplifiers to watch TV,
also access to a BSL interpreter service.

- Assessment of your needs by the Special Needs Advisor at home or in hospitals. If assistance is required before you visit the hospital ring the Special Needs Advisor.

- From the information given a plan of care is written and sent to all staff involved in your care.

- A contact list of other women with disabilities is also available.

- Specialist equipment includes, height adjustable beds/cots,drive in showers for wheelchair users, hoist.

- En suite facilities with bath/showers, also 6 bedded ward.

- Partner/carer can stay overnight if absolutely necessary.

- Educational material available in a variety of media, large print, Braille, audio tapes, videos.

- Parent education in groups or one to one.

- Health education.

- Information of local/national support groups and organisations.

- Disability equality training is offered to all staff.

We encourage women with disabilities to share information, to be involved and contribute to various aspects of service provision.

Evaluation and monitoring of services are on-going to further develop quality of care.

For further help and advice contact:

Jackie Rotheram
Special Needs Advisor
Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Trust
Crown Street
Liverpool
L8 7SS

tel:0151 708 9988 ext 4012