Margate and Ashford celebrate five years of pre-term birth clinic helping babies at risk
Specialist service has halved pre-term birth rate in East Kent
A remarkable milestone has been reached for the pre-term birth clinic at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate and the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, as the specialist service marks its fifth anniversary.
Initiated during the challenging times of the Covid pandemic in March 2020 by lead consultant Miss Aylur Rajasri (Raji), the clinic has focused on enhancing outcomes for premature babies.
Since its inception, over 1,300 babies have been successfully delivered, often to parents who have endured prior heartache due to early losses.
Parental Gratitude
Celebrating the anniversary, several parents returned to thank key figures in the clinic like Miss Rajasri, pre-term lead midwife Jess Toohey, fetal wellbeing midwife Poppy Corral, and midwife Layla Bouzamita.
Emma Rous, who previously lost a baby at 23 weeks, shared how her daughter Bonnie's birth at 36 weeks was possible thanks to a special cervical stitch:
“After Bonnie was born, we felt so relieved and realised just how stressful it had been.
The team were absolutely incredible – without their care Bonnie wouldn’t be here. Dr Raji is a real expert in the field but she is also fantastic at making sure we felt emotionally supported too."
Katherine Watts and her daughter Harper, born at 39 weeks, echo similar sentiments:
“At my first appointment I hadn’t realised how serious it was until Dr Raji said she could be born any time."
Impact and Support
Pre-term birth rates at East Kent Hospitals have dramatically reduced from 7.6 per 1,000 to 3.05 per 1,000.
Miss Rajasri expresses gratitude to her team's dedication:
“This demonstrates the amount of work that has gone in and I am grateful to my team of midwives, healthcare assistants, admin and reception staff, whose dedicated support allows the service to run effectively, provide holistic care and reassurance to women at the most worrying time in their life.
We are literally able to save babies’ lives and there is nothing more important than that.”
Jessica Toohey, lead preterm midwife and midwifery sonographer, highlights the team’s progress in enhancing care quality through embedded research.
Families at risk from previous premature births, cervical surgeries, or miscarriages are referred to the clinic for ongoing support till their third trimester.
Recognition came from NHS England’s regional team, honouring the commitment to reducing preterm birth and improving survival rates.
The clinic remains committed to learning, adopting newer technologies, and interventions for ensuring the safest possible outcomes for families.