"It left a very negative impression"

I attended my first scan appointment at the midwifery service in Strabane Health Centre, and unfortunately it was a very poor experience that left me feeling frustrated, disrespected, and concerned about future visits.

I arrived 10 minutes early, as instructed, and wasn’t seen until over 2.5 hours past my scheduled time. Despite there only being a couple of patients ahead of me, the process moved extremely slowly. It was clear to me the delay wasn’t due to the midwifery staff — they were courteous and did their best to keep me informed — but rather due to inefficiencies on the doctors' side, which severely impacted the flow of the clinic.

What made this wait even more difficult was the fact that I had been told to arrive with a full bladder. As a pregnant woman, I had to sit in considerable discomfort for nearly three hours before being seen. It felt physically draining and completely avoidable.

To attend this appointment, I also had to take a half day off work, losing half a day’s pay — and due to the excessive waiting time, this turned out to be unnecessary. If I’d known how delayed things would be, I could have arrived much later.

This was my first scan appointment, which should have been a positive and reassuring experience — instead, it left a very negative impression and raised concerns about how my future care will be managed.

I understand that delays happen in healthcare, but the lack of urgency, poor scheduling, and the sheer discomfort I experienced are unacceptable — especially for pregnant patients. I want to know:

What is being done to address delays like this in the future?

How will pregnant women be better supported and prioritised, especially when asked to arrive with a full bladder?

What steps will be taken to ensure this does not happen again at my next visit?

I hope this feedback is taken seriously. No patient — especially in pregnancy — should be left waiting in that level of discomfort with no real explanation or solution in sight.