It is the Maternity Day Assessment Unit. This department functions as an out patient area for triage and assessment.

You may be advised to attend or referred to by your GP and/or Community Midwife.

If you have any concerns you can also call and self refer to MDAU.

If you have a minor concern, we recommend visiting the Healthier Together website or download the Wessex Healthier Together app. These provide advice on common pregnancy concerns and more often than not will have the answer to your questions and will be able to reassure you and advise you on what to do next.

If you have a significant concern or if your concern is not resolved following the advice from Healthier Together, you can call MDAU.

You can self-refer to the MDAU using the Healthier Together app. The app will ask about your symptoms, and it will then decide if you fall into a red, amber or green category. The outcomes of those categories are:

  • Red: This is classed as an emergency and you will be advised to call 999 
  • Amber:  You will be advised to call the maternity triage line if the concern is a maternity related or will be advised to contact your GP surgery or 111 if out of hours.
  • Green: You will be given advice and information to self-care at home.

For both the red and amber categories you can press a button on the app and will be automatically connected to the service that has been recommended. All amber calls will be triaged by the midwives and, if required, you will be advised to attend your local Maternity Day Assessment Unit (MDAU) or antenatal ward (if you are out of hours). A midwife is available through the Maternity Triage Line any time of the day or night and works alongside all the local maternity units and the ambulance service to ensure you can access immediate care in labour or with any pregnancy concerns.

Download the NHS Healthier Together app from the Apple app store, or the Google Play store.

We have two MDAUs – one on each main site.

Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital 
Located in the clinic area in Sherborne Building

  • Monday - Friday, 8am - 8pm
  • Saturday and Sunday, 10am - 4pm

Royal Hampshire County Hospital 
Located on the ground floor in Florence Portal House

  • Monday - Friday, 8am - 8pm
  • Saturday and Sunday, 10am - 4pm

Please ensure you have contacted the triage line or been referred by a health care professional before attending the MDAU.

When you arrive at MDAU, please let a member of staff know.

As this is an outpatient triage area it is subject to unexpected emergencies and periods of high patient volume, we would ask you to please be patient and kind to each other.

A midwife will assess your concerns and condition upon arrival and then decide on further action - this is called triage. We aim to do this within 15 minutes, but please be aware that you may need to wait longer at busy times and/or if there is an emergency situation. The triage system ensures that people with the most serious conditions are seen first to keep everyone safe.

Once you have had your 15 min assessment, you will be assigned a colour based on how urgently you need to be seen:MDAU triage.jpg

 

Depending on what your concern is and our assessment, the MDAU midwife may be able to resolve the issue, or you might need to be seen by a doctor, or you may need to be transferred to the maternity unit for a period of time.

If you're asked to return for a follow-up appointment, scan or review, this appointment will be in our scheduled prior to your discharge home and you will be informed of when and where to return.