"Individual staff members made my experience more positive"

My son was born on the labour ward at Tameside Hospital in November 2019 following being induced on ward 27. I was induced because I was past my due date. I was originally due to be induced on the 4 days earlier but was sent home due to lack of beds available on the ward.

I returned and the induction process was started. I was kept well informed of what to expect but the staff were clearly working flat out and were struggling with lack of equipment. Unfortunately, I got very little sleep over the next 2 nights due the comings and goings in the bay and not being able to access pain relief in a timely way. Whilst the staff were happy to give pain relief there was often over 30 minutes before they got round to actually giving the drugs.

During my time on the ward another lady gave birth on the bay due to a lack of space on the labour ward. Clearly this was far from ideal from everyone involved. Staff repeatedly told me that the ward was not normally as busy and were apologetic but seemingly were expected to just get on with things.

The day before I gave birth the consultant decided I should be moved to the Labour ward to have my waters broken. A bed eventually became available at 7pm. At this point I was 15 days past my due date and outside of the recommended time to be left past term. Danielle the midwife on the labour ward was very helpful and clearly explained each part of the process. Each midwife that attended to check the baby’s obs were friendly and professional. I was promptly given pain relief and felt well supported. I was well into labour when the shift changed and I was introduced to Julie. I cannot praise her enough for how she handled the situation and looked after us all throughout the duration of her shift. At the point of Julie arriving I had become no longer able to manage the pain and requested an epidural. Unfortunately, the consultant required to complete the procedure was not available and so I was told I needed to wait 45 minutes. This turned into over an hour which I understand couldn’t have been avoided but was very difficult for both me and my husband to manage.

The consultant completed the procedure very efficiently despite the challenging circumstances. From that point onward my stress levels were significantly lowered.

Dr Schofield supervised the birth and was absolutely brilliant throughout. She was direct and explained everything clearly and succinctly. My baby was eventually delivered by forceps. Following the birth I lost a significant amount of blood but this was quickly addressed and I felt well looked after throughout. Immediately following the birth and throughout the rest of the day Julie made sure me, my husband and baby were well looked after and talked through everything that had happened. We are forever grateful for her kindness and support.

We were eventually found a bed on ward 27 at 11.30pm and was transferred then. I suddenly found myself alone with my baby on a bay without anyone available for support. The midwife on duty addressed my immediate need for medication but did not provide any further support. From that point on I felt very much that I was left to fend for myself. Following a blood test, I was diagnosed with low iron levels but was given very little information about the implications of this. A midwife Nikki who had looked after me during my induction took the time to come and explain things to me despite me not being her patient. This was extremely helpful and much appreciated.

We were eventually discharged late afternoon the next day. We were given lots of information to take away and left feeling grateful to be going home to start adjusting to life as a 3.

Overall, I feel that individual staff members made my experience more positive than it could have been. I didn’t get the sense that clear and effective leadership was influencing what was happening on the ward. I think the staff would benefit from reflecting on the implications of late transfers onto the ward and how events in the ward impact on all patients. On a practical level the ward would benefit from more equipment to monitor both mums and babies.