The £13 million Maternity Unit at the Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, has been officially opened by Health Minister Michael McGimpsey.

The three-floor unit, which was designed with the help of mothers, includes two spacious new wards with a total of 32 beds, as well as single rooms with en-suite facilities. There are seven midwifery-led 'home from home' rooms including birthing pools.

The unit also accommodates a 16-cot neonatal unit and provides the full range of services from intensive care to special care provision.

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Mr McGimpsey said: "I want to see maternity services that provide safe, high quality care and real choice for women. This new maternity unit at the Ulster Hospital goes a considerable way towards meeting these objectives.

"Real choice is about providing services that work for patients which can only be achieved by taking their experiences and views on board. By listening to mothers and involving them in the design of this maternity unit they have created a facility which will meet the needs of mothers and babies for many years to come."

"The midwifery-led home-from-home suite beside the consultant led unit significantly expands the options available to women, allowing them to give birth in a safe environment of their choice."

The unit is now the model for maternity services in Northern Ireland.

(GK/JM)