Villa Park to host maternity clinics as alternative to hospital visits
An NHS trust is to offer maternity care at Aston Villa's home ground - following the success of a similar tie-up with West Bromwich Albion.
The Sandwell and West Birmingham Trust said Villa Park's North Stand would host weekday clinics for expectant mothers and new parents from Monday.
Postnatal and antenatal care by midwives is already being hosted at Albion's Hawthorns ground, including health visitors holding appointments for new parents, as well as newborn hearing screening tests.
The service at Villa Park will be staffed by 10 midwives and two support workers, with two health visitors taking appointments.
The trust's deputy director of midwifery Louise Wilde, who is also a Villa fan, said: "I am really pleased that Aston Villa agreed to accommodate the trust.
"I decided to approach our local football teams because they are in a perfect position to help us deliver these clinics.
"There are no matches being played and geographically they are both in the right place for our patients.
"It also provides an alternative to a hospital setting, which some of our women felt anxious about coming to.
"We've already been getting some great feedback from those attending the Hawthorns, home of the Baggies."
Guy Rippon, head of foundation and community partnerships at Aston Villa, said: "We are delighted to be able to help out our local NHS hospitals by opening up Villa Park as a temporary maternity clinic."
Published: by Radio NewsHub