Charity supports maternity heart monitoring at Basildon Hospital

Mid and South Essex Hospitals Charity has donated more than £40,000 to seven wall-mounted baby heart monitoring machines and two mobile devices to be added at Basildon Hospital, part of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. They will improve care for expectant and new mums who need continuous monitoring across maternity services.

A new central monitoring system used across antenatal, labour and maternity theatre areas links all the baby heart monitoring machines to one hub.

Danielle Atkins, Fetal Monitoring Lead Midwife, explains the importance of the additional equipment: “Central monitoring gives us a clear, real-time view of what’s happening across the whole maternity unit. This upgrade to existing monitoring equipment is important as pregnancies have become more complex in recent years, and more women now need regular monitoring.

“Being able to check fetal activity remotely helps us make quicker decisions, focus on the women who need us most, and work more efficiently as a team. It strengthens patient safety and supports smoother, more coordinated care.”

The machines’ main purpose is to check fetal wellbeing by monitoring the baby’s heart rate and uterine activity. They are used when concerns arise, such as reduced fetal movements, complications like diabetes or any situation where a pregnancy is considered high risk.

Lucy Thomas-Clayton, Director of Mid and South Essex Hospitals Charity, adds: “We’re proud to support this important project, as these improvements give staff even better tools to care for women and babies. Just as importantly, they offer real reassurance to families throughout pregnancy and labour.”