Work begins on new Alongside Midwifery-Led Unit at Antrim Area Hospital
The Northern Trust has said that construction on an ‘Alongside Midwifery-Led Unit (AMLU)’ at Antrim Area Hospital has begun.
An alongside midwifery unit (AMU) is a midwife-led unit located close to an obstetric unit on the same hospital site.
The Trust said that the £5.7 million building project is due to be completed in early 2026.
The development of the AMLU at Antrim was a requirement of the Permanent Secretary Peter May when he approved the recommendation of the Trust Board to consolidate all hospital births at Antrim Area Hospital.
Since July 2023, all inpatient births have taken place at Antrim, while Causeway Hospital in Coleraine provides antenatal and postnatal care.
Suzanne Pullins, the Trust’s Executive Director of Nursing, Paediatrics and Women’s Services said the new unit would give women in the Northern Trust area parity with the rest of the region.
She said: “Unlike the four other HSC Trusts in the region, the Northern Trust has no midwifery-led unit currently, so this is a really welcome step closer to delivering improved experiences for women in our community.
“We’re very excited to see construction get underway. This is a really positive development and fits with the vision we have for our maternity services. It is an important project for our Trust and another example of how we remain committed to improving experience and outcomes for our patients.
“I’m pleased that this unit will allow women to have more choice around their maternity care pathways and create equity across the entire region.”