Maternity services: our response to the national shortage of epidural medication bags
Due to a national shortage of epidural medication bags, we have carefully looked at all options to make sure we can continue to give epidurals safely.
This means that even with supply issues, you can still receive effective pain relief without any interruption during your care.
A team of doctors, midwives and pharmacists has looked at all available evidence and the alternative products supplied nationally. As a result, we will be using a slightly different epidural medication bag. The difference from the one currently used is very small and it remains a safe and effective way to provide pain relief during labour.
This change means there will be a small increase in the amount of local anaesthetic used. In some people, higher doses of local anaesthetic can be linked to a slightly higher chance of temporary muscle weakness or needing assistance during birth, such as forceps or ventouse. However, the way epidurals are given and monitored in our Trust is designed to reduce these risks as much as possible.
Your care team will continue to closely monitor you and adjust your pain relief if needed. We will also keep reviewing the national supply situation and make any further changes carefully, always putting safety, comfort and choice first.
If you have any concerns, please speak to your named midwife or a member of your care team.