"Turned Away in Emergency by Maternity"

I attended Royal Free in Hampstead recently while 15 weeks and 5 days pregnant, experiencing what I believed to be a medical emergency. I was shocked and deeply upset when the maternity triage team refused to assess me because I was not yet 16 weeks.

Even though I was just two days short of their policy threshold, no attempt was made to assess, stabilise, or refer me. Under the NHS Constitution, patients have the right to emergency care regardless of internal policies—and this felt like a breach of duty of care.

To make matters worse, the midwife I spoke to was extremely rude and told me I couldn’t be seen because it was not a viable pregnancy. I believe they meant viable fetus—but I do in fact have a viable pregnancy, and this inaccurate and insensitive comment was very distressing. 

No one should be turned away in an emergency because of a technicality, especially not in such a cold and demeaning manner. I sincerely hope this is reviewed and that future patients are treated with more flexibility, compassion, and clinical judgment.