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"Poor attitude & information not shared"

About: Maternity care / Maternity Admission/Assessment Unit

(as a service user),

I had attended the maternity assessment unit for reduced fetal movement on the Sunday evening, was met by a midwife who didnt introduce themself. I was told that everything looked normal on the monitor and then I was scanned by the midwife and by a Dr who did introduce themself. Both told me there were no issues but offered me the option of staying overnight for monitoring, to which I declined as I felt it was unnecessary if everything was fine and normal with baby. The Dr then asked me to return in the morning for another scan and further monitoring to which I agreed. 

I returned the following morning and the midwife who was seeing to me also didnt introduce themself and had a very poor attitude towards me. They said you're here because you weren't happy last night isn't that right? To which i replied no, im here because I was asked to return by the Dr, I was happy enough because I was told everything was normal, I could hear baby moving on the monitor and could see baby moving on the ultrasound, I just couldn't feel her.

So I was attached to the monitor for approx an hour and a half. The monitor was repeatedly beeping due to baby's heart running fast. No one explained to me that baby was running fast or for what reason, there was no reassurance from the midwife and no communication about baby's fast heart rate. I was then taken off the monitor and was told to go for a walk and go to the toilet and come back again to see if baby had calmed down. I then asked the staff member about the heart rate and why it would be running fast and was told only at that time that it was due to baby moving.

There were multiple occasions I was made to feel I was over reacting, I didnt reasonably need to be there and felt like an idiot. Several comments were made, that I was only 30 weeks, im not going to feel baby move all the time, my placenta was to the front so I won't feel baby as much, and that baby won't have established a routine of movement yet. 

I was then brought back in and monitor was applied again to see if baby had settled, which she did, and was told to go back out and Dr would call me back in for a chat.

A Dr called me in and introduced herself, she was lovely and very helpful. She scanned me and reassured me everything looked fine, again the baby's fast heart rate was not addressed until I addressed it myself, I was told that was due to baby moving about and was nothing to worry about.

The Dr disclosed to me that the reason I was brought back was because on one of the scans from the previous night there was reduced blood flow through the umbilical cord, I was made to believe by the midwife that the reason I was brought back was because I wasnt happy with what I was told the previous night which was not the case. I was not informed of reduced blood flow the night before, I sat all day in the maternity assessment unit and made to feel like I was an over reacting mother and that there was no reason for me to be there to then be told infact I was brought back because of reduced blood flow.

This is something I should have been informed of the night before and wasn't. I felt horrible after this visit and feel my trust is has been completed betrayed in this scenario. The Dr reassured me that everything was fine and if I felt a difference in baby's movements again I was to return to the unit.

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Responses

Response from Oonagh Campbell Kelly, Interim Lead Midwife for Maternity Inpatients & Maternity Admission and Assessment Unit, Craigavon Area Hospital, Integrated Maternity and Women's Health, Southern Health and Social Care Trust last week
Oonagh Campbell Kelly
Interim Lead Midwife for Maternity Inpatients & Maternity Admission and Assessment Unit, Craigavon Area Hospital, Integrated Maternity and Women's Health,
Southern Health and Social Care Trust
Submitted on 24/06/2025 at 19:19
Published on Care Opinion at 19:19


silverwareks74

Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback. I am sorry to read of your experience in Craigavon maternity admission and assessment unit and that we failed to provide the standard of care to you that the Southern Trust strives for. I would like to apologise that the concerns identified during your attendance on Sunday were not communicated with you and that you felt staff attitudes were lacking.

While recording your baby's heart rate on the monitor, it would be expected that the staff would explain the findings and possible causes for your baby's heart rate to be high and I am disappointed that this did not happen in your case and that you have lost trust following this.

If you would like to discuss your attendance in the admission and assessment unit further, please feel free to email me your details and contact number and I will endeavor to get back to you at my earliest convenience.

Kind regards

Oonagh Campbell Kelly (oonagh.campbellkelly@southerntrust.hscni.net)

Interim lead Midwife

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