The new maternity unit in Bournemouth will be under the same roof as critical care facilities.
New maternity facilities will be safer within a new hospital facility, health bosses have said.A new building under construction on the Royal Bournemouth Hospital site will house maternity along with emergency and critical care.
The Bournemouth building, due to open in 2024, will also include a children's unit, enhanced emergency department and critical care unit, with capacity for up to 30 beds.Head of midwifery Kerry Taylor said it "doesn't accommodate" modern needs."Nowadays, women use birthing balls, birthing pools, would like their partners to stay after they've had the baby
Dr Isabel Smith, medical director at University Hospitals Dorset, said there were advantages to "co-locating" maternity services in the building. Work on the new building began following changes announced in 2017 as part of the reorganisation of Dorset's hospital provision.