"The constant pain has ruined bonding all along"

Hi Julie

At the time of posting my story I was actually still in the Nettleham ward since being readmitted and I have to say the experience certainly did not improve. Firstly, the room where I was placed was not fit for function! The light in the toilet had not been fixed and the windows were so drafty that every member of staff complained about the cold. I had to sleep fully clothed with an extra blanket. Only when the PALS liaison came in with senior ward staff did they finally call maintenance, whose solution was to put tape around the window latches. Didn't work.

I finally saw a Dr at quarter to midnight who diagnosed an infection in my womb lining and put me on 2 courses of strong antibiotics with the idea being that the following day the Catheter would be removed. They also took bloods and swabs.

The following morning another Dr came in and said they didn't believe me about the bloody catheter (I have photographic proof which I offered to show them even though they had taken a sample) because the sample they had taken and the swabs had all gone missing. The Dr advised they don't think I have an infection but to go back to the antibiotics my GP had given me. If I had listened to them it would have been very dangerous as I was still being brought the other two antibiotics prescribed the night before! After a bladder scan and 2 full jugs, the catheter was finally removed at around half 4 in the afternoon. However it doesn't end there.

I was constantly asking when I would be discharged and being told they had to wait for the Dr as they hadn't seen them. I walked past the midwife station at half 7 that evening and saw my midwife talking to the Dr. Yet 10 minutes later when I asked my midwife what the Dr had said and if I can now go home they lied to my face and said they hadn't seen the Dr!

At 8pm I was removed from my room and placed in the day room as another lady needed my room. I was fine with this and said I'm just waiting to be discharged and can they check when I can go. I was told it was unlikely to be tonight as they can't find the Drs (one was sat at the station at the time!) And could I get my partner to put my now 7 day old baby in a taxi (At night in freezing weather!) to bring him to me as they hadn't realized that I couldn't bring my newborn with me due to the weather and was obviously very distraught about being parted.

How did it take the staff 2 days to notice this despite the fact I kept mentioning this to them! I was then told not to go out of the ward as the staff don't have time to press the buzzer (this was during visiting hours as well. ) to be fair I had to wait 20 minutes many times to be let back in and often this was by the assessment centre staff who were lovely and staff from other wards as I noted the midwives were often busy talking to each other. 15 minutes later I was moved to a different room which still had dirty sheets (I have pictures) and the door was so stiff I almost pulled my stitches repeatedly. In the end, I was left sorting my own transport (despite the fact ULHT were supposed to arrange this) so that I could self discharge. I placed my bags at the station and asked for the self discharge procedure at quarter to ten as my transport was outside, to be told I have been able to be discharged since 8 but nobody had time to do the paperwork so to go back to my room and they will get around to me once they've seen the more important patients and done the files. I refused and waited instead by the day room so I wouldn't be forgotten about again. Finally at gone 10pm they did my paperwork and spent 5 minutes finding my prescription as I needed to continue taking the antibiotics.

Only then did they realize nobody had seen me to give me my tablets at 6pm. I then had to wait another 10 minutes for them to find the tablets that I should have been given so they could see me take them. I was very relieved to get to escape the ward afterwards for what I can assure you will be the last time!

What I was not impressed with was seeing the comments on the notes from the Dr about there not being any sign of blood or infection and that I just wanted the catheter out early (no because it came out on the 5Th day like it is supposed to as per NHS guidelines). So my question is this, how can I see two different doctors on your ward and get totally opposite opinions??

The treatment from your hospital left me feeling very poorly and unable to recover well with a severe infection which could have turned to sepsis if I had allowed your staff to continue to brush me under the rug. Thanks to the poor care I had to spend my sons first week birthday stuck waiting to go home and feeling extremely unwell to the point of almost collapsing by the door to the ward (unnoticed) and extremely distressed at being kept from my son. I have never felt so inhuman and unimportant! Also the highly unprofessional attitudes of the staff on the ward is shocking.

Do patients really need staff shouting at them and arguing with them? Or to hear the rude and out of order comments between staff about us "difficult" patients who are "just being awkward and causing them extra work that they didn't need".

So yes I would like to meet with you to show you the images of your ward and prove my catheter did urgently need removing due to the blood and also the infection. And to get assurances that no other lady will be put through what I experienced.

If I chose to have another child (though your ward ruined the experience) it will not be at any ULHT hospital!

I emailed you directly with my contact information over a week ago now and you still have not taken the time to speak to me.

I feels like you are clearly not interested in meeting with me to discuss the numerous complaints following the appalling care, I have no other option but to look for alternate ways to resolve the complaint and raise the issues. I do not under any circumstances want any other lady to go through what I went through. Your staff should realize that women in labour or postnatal are trusting the staff during perhaps their most vulnerable and scary time in their lives, and therefore need to be treated with care and respect!