We took the difficult decision to temporarily suspend the use of Entonox (gas and air) in Maternity at St Peter’s Hospital from midday Thursday 30 March 2023 and are very sorry if you are affected by this. Homebirths are unaffected and Entonox will continue to be available.
We took this action for the safety of our staff who may have had extended exposure to Entonox within our maternity services, due to issues with ventilation. We have been working hard to rectify the issues and will begin a testing phase from Monday 10 April, where we will be carrying out tests to ensure the Entonox levels are within the recommended ranges before reintroducing Entonox use.
We understand that this may be a worrying time for you and we are working as quickly as we can to make Entonox available again. We do have a range of alternative pain relief options which you can view in our frequently asked questions here or speak to your midwife who are happy to discuss your options with you.
If you would like to transfer your care to another maternity unit, please make sure you discuss this with your midwife before you go to another maternity unit. Your midwife will be able to help you with your transfer to ensure a smooth transition to your alternative maternity unit.
You can also use our Call a Midwife Surrey Advice Line on 0300 123 5473.
There will be a further Q&A session around ‘Birth Choices’ on Tuesday 11 April at 5:30pm. This will be hosted on Microsoft Teams by the Consultant Midwife. Join using this link. Meeting ID: 384 110 719 214 Passcode: 6VDc7r.
Please note that this situation has changed, please read our latest news article here.
