"Hospital staff do not see you as a person"

I'll start by saying if you are referred to the fertility clinic at K&C I strongly recommend that you exercise your right to choose where you are referred to (https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/your-choices-in-the-nhs/). Few people seem to know about this option, and it has been a godsend to me.

After being treated with zero respect or care at K&C while navigating the life-changing distress of infertility and multiple miscarriage, I have discharged myself from this clinic and now being treated in another NHS hospital where the simple acts of kindness and respect for patents has been overwhelming. This proves that this isn't a question of money, it's about how the staff interact with their patients. Kindness and compassion cost nothing and can have a transformative effect on both the patient and the care giver.

The consultant's secretary was rude and tried to hang up on me. Another consultant used the unforgivable phrase 'I've got more important things to do'. We were not asked if it was OK for a very young student to sit in on a consultation regarding the most sensitive and intimate parts of our life. The set up when you arrive is confusing and it's not clear when you're going to be seen. I complained to PALs and the DPO about staff at the clinic restricting me from access to my test results and after chasing several times for a response have given up.

I am a kind, compassionate, caring person. I have respect for everyone and am always polite, but my experience at this hospital has had a very negative impact on me. At K&C the staff don't care about you as a person and seem to still operate on a 50s care model whereby staff look down on patients This is very outdated and it's no wonder they are classed as failing. There is a serious 'us and them' divide at this hospital that needs addressing.