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Excellent care, just a few constraints

Posted By Bella1974

"Excellent care, just a few constraints"

About: Ninewells Hospital / Maternity care

(as a parent/guardian),

My daughter recently had her son in Ninewells hospital Dundee.

I understand the demands and constraints on the service. 

During her stay in the Labour suite only.  I cannot fault the excellent care that was given to my daughter and my grandson.

My daughter was monitored closely throughout her time in labour suite,  and excellent care was given by the midwife’s she had. Both called Hannah. 

Unfortunately my daughter had to be rushed for an emergency section under general anaesthetic which was scary for us all.  The whole team in labour suite acted very quickly and communicated to a very high standard during it all.  We were kept informed at all times and afterwards the team came to speak to us and offered  support and advice. 

I personally thanked the staff in labour suite for their excellent work and support.

Unfortunately the communication before going to labour suite was not so good.  

We were told in triage go to the ward on a Certain date and time and when my daughter and her partner arrived,  they didn’t know who they were and they were not expecting them,  they felt very deflated by this. My daughter had pre eclampsia. 

The information that was given  in triage what would happen, did not on ward 38. 

My daughter had a procedure and was told it was a success but it wasn’t as she was told, by the consultant in labour suite. 

My daughter waited 4 days before she managed to get a bed in labour suite.  During this time the ward was very noisy and busy so sleep was impossible.  

We understand emergencies come in and there are priority cases but due to lack of sleep she was exhausted before she got to the labour suite. 

Being a young first time mum she also had high blood pressure and this created more anxiety for her,  so she needed more medication to manage this. 

Maybe knowing that there is only 5 labour rooms they are working with,  this would give mums ready to have a child upstairs understand better.  The size of the hospital and the amount of people in the wards seems to me that there is not enough beds and staff in labour suite to keep up with the demands?  

My daughter and grandson are home now and well,  but the whole journey before she got to labour suite was exhausting.  Partners  spending days and nights,  not working, sleeping on chairs etc wasn’t pleasant and this could have been dealt with in the community rather than a hospital bed. 

The ward was clean and even the band 2’s were praised by myself for there good work,  as it’s all about the team, not individual departments. 

Dr Campbell and Rhiannon were fantastic and had excellent beside manners,  they made us feel were reassured,  before and afterwards.

Both senior charge nurses were also very caring in the labour suite,  and I cannot thank them enough.  

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Responses

Response from Lee-Anne Abel, NHS Tayside 3 months ago
Lee-Anne Abel
NHS Tayside

Submitted on 30/07/2025 at 14:59
Published on Care Opinion at 14:59

Dear Bella1974

Congratulations on the birth of your grandson. I hope your daughter and grandson are settling in well at home and adapting to their new life as a family. I hope you too are soaking up the early days and all of the memories these will foster.

I am delighted to hear that your daughter was so well cared for during her time in labour suite and that despite what must have been an anxious time the team did their best to make this a positive experience. Your words will be shared with the team for positive reflection and I know your kindness in sharing your gratitude will be gratefully received by our teams in labour suite and ward 38.

I am sorry to hear that your daughter did not feel well informed prior to birth or during the days where she was waiting to be transferred to labour suite. Your feedback has been shared with our Senior Charge Midwife team this morning for reflection and to support learning. I acknowledge that you felt information sharing could have been clearer and some insight into why delays were possible may have been useful in supporting plans for your daughter and her birth partner.

Maternity services do experience peaks and troughs in clinical activity that can at times be unpredictable and these mean that delays can be a feature at times for women waiting to be admitted to labour suite for scheduled procedures such as induction of labour. This should have been explained to you at the time this plan was made by the team who made these plans with you. I am sorry if this did not happen as I can hear that this may have influenced other decisions the family made linked to this admission. A reminder will be shared with our obstetric and midwifery colleagues linked to explaining processes and potential for delays. We know this is likely to have been more supportive in managing expectations linked to time scales for ongoing care.

I am sorry to hear that your daughter felt misinformed during her induction process and did not feel supported to be at home in the community during her wait. Without clinical detail it is difficult to advise regarding this. It is likely however, given that you have mentioned pre-eclampsia that our obstetric colleagues felt it was safer for your daughter to be monitored in hospital whilst awaiting transfer to labour suite for induction of labour. This would be in keeping with usual practice where additional monitoring is indicated.

How your daughter was welcomed to the ward has been highlighted to the SCM for the maternity floor and she plans to remind staff of the process for understanding planned admissions for the day. I acknowledge this would have made your daughters welcome into our service more positive. The team should be aware of planned admissions each morning and this should be highlighted during morning handover to ensure all women receive a warm welcome.

Your feedback is appreciated, and helps provide us with a barometer of how care feels for women and families accessing our services. Your story will be shared across teams for reflection and discussion and the key points you have highlighted will be considered for action.

Thank you.

Best Wishes,

Lee-Anne Abel

Senior Midwife

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