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Arrowe Park first in North West to offer enhanced pre-eclampsia screening

Wirral University Teaching Hospital has made the Fetal Medicine Foundation assessment part of routine early pregnancy care.

Arrowe Park Hospital is the first in the North West region to offer the type of screening. Photo: WUTH.

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Wirral University Teaching Hospital says it is the first trust in the North West to introduce enhanced pre-eclampsia screening as part of routine early pregnancy care.

The pathway aims to identify women at higher risk of pre-eclampsia sooner so preventative treatment can be offered earlier.

Pre-eclampsia is a serious condition involving high blood pressure in pregnancy. High blood pressure disorders, including pre-eclampsia, affect around one in 10 people in their first pregnancy and are a leading cause of premature birth and other complications.

The enhanced screening forms part of the Fetal Medicine Foundation assessment. It uses information from early pregnancy with additional measurements to give a more personalised risk evaluation.

Dr Kate Lightly, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and research lead for women's and children's services at the trust, said early identification is "incredibly important".

"This new screening pathway gives us a much more accurate way of assessing risk during early pregnancy and allows us to offer preventative treatment to those most likely to benefit from it."

The rollout follows the trust's involvement in the national STARShiP programme, which is assessing whether advanced screening can deliver better outcomes than existing NHS protocols.

Chief executive Janelle Holmes said expectant parents in Wirral can benefit from the latest advances in care, and that research is translating directly into local family support.

Wirral's adult social care was recently rated good by the Care Quality Commission.

Anyone with concerns about pregnancy symptoms should contact their midwife or maternity team, or call NHS 111.

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