Referrals to our Manchester clinics

Find out how you can be seen at one of our Manchester clinics.

The Placenta Clinic

Women are managed through the second half of pregnancy by a small team of midwives and doctors who are based in the Clinical Research Area. Women usually have an ultrasound scan of their baby performed at every visit;the frequency of visits is flexible depending upon patient need.The clinic also takes part in research, with patients often being asked to donate their placentas or take part in other studies when they come for their clinic appointments.

This clinic is held in the Clinical Research Suite, 5th Floor, Saint Mary's Hospital on Wednesdays.

Patients receive combined midwifery and consultant obstetric care and ultrasound scans at each visit. Risk assessment and delivery planning based on this also take place.

Patients are referred by their midwife or consultant direct to Professor Ed Johnstone (0161 7017158) or Suzanne Thomas (0161 7016965).

The Rainbow Clinic

The Rainbow Clinic is a specialist service for women and their families in a subsequent pregnancy following a stillbirth or perinatal death. We care for families from the time of the postnatal appointment to discuss investigations at the time of stillbirth onwards and into a subsequent pregnancy. It is led by Professor Alex Heazell, the lead midwife is Louise Stephens. We will see families whose babies have died elsewhere to provide a plan before starting another pregnancy.

The clinic provides appropriate medication and additional scans to identify placental dysfunction and detect complications early in a subsequent pregnancy. We make use of the scanning methods pioneered in Manchester Placental Clinic to look at the placenta in more detail. In addition we provide continuity of care and additional psychological support.

Women are offered:

  • An ultrasound scan at 23 weeks and then at intervals throughout pregnancy
  • Consultant led care with midwifery support
  • Discussion regarding timing/mode of delivery

Women are referred through their midwife or consultant. 

The clinic is located at: 

5th Floor Tommy's Research Clinics

Saint Mary's Hospital

The clinic is held every Thursday

The secretary can be contacted on (0161) 701 0866, Monday - Friday, 8.30 am - 4.30 pm.

Rainbow Clinic Midwife (0161) 701 6965

The Lupus in Pregnancy (LIPs) Clinic

At Saint Mary's Hospital, we help run a specialist antenatal clinic for pregnant women with Lupus Spectrum disorders including Systemic Lupus Erythematous (SLE), incomplete Lupus Syndrome and the Anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) as well as other connective tissue disorders. These disorders are associated with serious problems during pregnancy such as pregnancy loss, pre-eclampsia, premature birth and failure of the baby to grow.

The specialist team within the clinic provides pre-conception advice, routine antenatal care such as blood pressure and urine checks, routine antenatal advice, detailed ultrasound observations of the baby and placenta, monitoring of medication, monitoring of blood tests, monitoring and management of symptoms related to the specific disorder such as 'flare ups'. Surveillance of maternal and fetal health is tailored to individual requirements and a care plan is made for the antenatal period in addition to delivery.

All women attending the LIPs clinic are invited to take part in ongoing research on lupus in pregnancy and will be sent information with the appointment letter. Women should be reassured that their decision to help or not with the research project does not influence their clinical care.

Clinics are held on the 5th Floor, Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Saint Mary's Hospital, every Tuesday afternoon.

The clinic offers

  • Pre-conception consultation
  • Antenatal care
  • Management of Lupus in pregnancy including additional pregnancy scans
  • Opportunity to be involved in research

Patients can be referred to the service via:

  • Their GP
  • Community midwife
  • Obstetrician
  • Reproductive Health Service
  • Rheumatology

Monday - Friday, 8.30 am - 4.30 pm.

The Manchester Antenatal and Vascular Service (MAViS)

The clinic is designed to provide additional monitoring, ultrasound scans and support for women with a history of high blood pressure and those at high risk of developing high blood pressure complications during pregnancy. Additional blood pressure measurements (including 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring) are offered to women attending the clinic to ensure that blood pressure medication is optimised. Surveillance of maternal and fetal health is tailored to individual requirements, for the majority of women appointments are offered 2-4 weekly.

Dr Myers, who runs the clinic, runs an active research programme within the Maternal & Fetal Health Research Centre and women attending the MAViS clinic are invited to take part in the research studies.

Patients can be referred from antenatal services by their GP. 

Clinics are held in the Clinical Research Suite, 5th Floor, Saint Mary's Hospital every Friday morning.

The clinic helps women with: 

  • Previous early onset pre-eclampsia
  • Chronic hypertension
  • Renal hypertension

Women attending the clinic are offered: 

  • Preconception care
  • Antenatal care
  • Additional ultrasound scans,12-14, 16-18, 22-24, 26-28, 30-34, 36-38 weeks

The secretary can be contacted on (0161) 276 6116, Monday - Friday, 8.30 am - 4.30 pm.

MAViS Clinic Midwife (0161) 7016980

VELOCITY clinic

The clinic provides multidisciplinary care for women who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The clinic is led by Dr Myers alongside a team of specialist midwives, diabetes specialist nurses and a diabetologist. The clinic provides additional monitoring and support for the management of diabetes (including glucose sensors) and additional ultrasound scans throughout the pregnancy.

Dr Myers, who runs the clinic, runs an active research programme within the Maternal & Fetal Health Research Centre and women attending the VELOCITY clinic are invited to take part in the research studies.

Patients can be referred from antenatal services or by their GP.

Clinics are held in the Clinical Research Suite, 5th Floor, Saint Mary's Hospital every Tuesday morning.
The clinic helps women with:

  • Type 1 or type 2 diabetes diagnosed before or during pregnancy
  • Pre-gestational diabetes with evidence of vascular complications (retinopathy, nephropathy)

Women attending the clinic are offered:

  • Preconception care
  • Antenatal care
  • Additional ultrasound scans,12-14, 16-18, 22-24, 26-28, 30-34, 36-38 weeks

The secretary can be contacted on (0161) 276 6116, Monday - Friday, 8.30 am - 4.30 pm.
VELOCITY Clinic Midwife (0161) 701 6980