Obstetrics - Pennine Fetal Unit (PFU)

Why have I been referred to PFU?

You have been offered an appointment for further assessment by a Consultant in the Pennine Fetal Unit, at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

This may be for a number of reasons:

• During your recent scan the sonographer has indicated further assessment is required. The precise nature of this is often unclear at this stage
• Problems with a previous baby
• Certain medical conditions in the baby’s parents
• Closer monitoring of baby’s growth
• Monitoring of your baby when certain Antibodies have been detected in your blood
• Amniocentesis

What happens next?

An appointment will be allocated to you by a Fetal Medicine Midwife. You will be contacted by telephone or post, as soon as possible, to inform you of your appointment date and time. This appointment will also be added to your Badgernet App.

Please note this is an emergency service and appointments are subject to change, based on clinical need.

This will be an additional appointment and you will remain under the care of your original Consultant or Midwife Team.

What happens at my appointment?

A detailed scan will be performed by a Consultant who has a special interest in fetal medicine. This will take between 30 to 45 minutes. Following your scan you will be seen in our counselling room and the Consultant will discuss their findings, possible effects for your baby, further tests to be considered, if appropriate, plus options and plan for your pregnancy.

Following the scan, in some instances, you may also need to be referred to the tertiary centre at St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, for further assessment or opinion.

You are welcome to bring someone with you for support. However it is not generally advisable to bring children, due to the length and nature of the appointment.

We endeavour to see patients at their allocated appointment time. However, due to the nature of the appointment, there may be unavoidable delays.

Please attend with appropriate attire, allowing easy access for scanning of abdominal area.

Where are we located?

We are based within the Ante-Natal Clinic, Ward F3 at The Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Rd, Oldham, OL1 2JH. On arrival please register your attendance at the main reception desk.

Further Information and Support

We realise it can be a very worrying and stressful time whilst you are waiting for a further scan to confirm or clarify earlier findings.  For further support you can contact:

Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC) – A national charity offering support and information to parents following antenatal testing – 0845 077 2290, info@arc-uk.org, www.arc-uk.org

PFU – Unfortunately we are unable to give you further information regarding your baby’s condition until a scan has been performed in this department.

Monday to Friday 8am - 5.30pm on 0161 778 5183.