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Bad experience of maternity services

Posted By lacertabt53

"Bad experience of maternity services"

About: Kettering General Hospital / Maternity

(as a service user),

My birth experience was unfortunately very poor at KGH:

- No consent gained for treatment by student midwives. At points it unfortunately felt like my birth and body were being used as teaching tools for the student midwife. 

- No explanation provided at the time or after for why the hospital would not allow use of my own Tens machine or for me to be mobile during labour. This had a hugely negative impact on me.

- Very poor knowledge seen throughout birth of treatment plan or protocol for Group B Strep + mother. 

- No pain relief prescribed for after C-section- had to ask for over 10 hours to get paracetamol. Staff kept blaming each other for why this was the case, rather than finding a solution. 

- Lack of compassion- for example, while still having stitches after emergency c-section, midwife approached me and said she thought my birth had been ‘a disappointment’ as it would have been her 11th birth if I hadn’t have needed the c-section. 

- Incorrect records made- record states that my son was treated in neonatal care unit after birth- he was not: on raising this with hospital they have refused to review and just state that he was treated there - he was not. 


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Responses

Response from Lucy Jones, Head of Patient Experience and Engagement, Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust about a year and a half ago
Lucy Jones
Head of Patient Experience and Engagement,
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 16/12/2022 at 16:04
Published on Care Opinion at 16:22

Dear Lacertabt53,

Thank you for taking the time to leave this feedback.

We appreciate your feedback as this helps us to review and improve services.

We apologise that you did not have the experience that you had hoped for on this occasion, and if you wish to discuss your concerns further, then please contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service on 01536 49 3306 or by emailing kgh-tr.pals@nhs.net.

Thank you.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by lacertabt53 (a service user)

Thank you for the time taken to respond to my comments.

The hospital has previously acknowledged that my experience was unacceptable and traumatic, and that it was one characterised by lack of empathy and lack of regard for basic patient dignity. These things have been acknowledged, but no practical steps have been taken to rectify problems like the mis-recording of my baby’s treatment. Although meant with the best of intentions, it has just not been particularly persuasive to read that vague and unspecified ‘lessons will be learnt’ and ‘services improved’.

While nothing I can do, or any sadly quite empty seeming apology from the hospital will change this particular experience, I have been trying to contact the hospital regarding the incorrect record of treatment for 7 months and have consistently received the response that a case-handler is investigating, but this is never followed up. I just don’t have any belief or faith in KGH anymore.

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