"Bad attitudes"

Our community midwife (who is amazing) visited today and after speaking with a Dr at the Victoria hospital advised we should take our 8 day old baby in to be assessed by a Dr.

As you can imagine this was a very distressing time for my wife and I, especially being new first time parents. Our midwife had advised us to attend the maternity assessment entrance at the Victoria hospital in Kirkcaldy.

When we arrived there we advised the two auxiliary staff at the door who we were and why we were there. They asked where we were advised to come and as we were anxious and hadn’t retained a lot of the information we said the maternity assessment area. The auxiliary then (directed at my wife) then asked if it was for her or our son. When my wife said it was for my son the auxiliary laughed at us and said that it wouldn’t be maternity assessment then. Then proceeded to pull out a mobile phone and start browsing on it while the other auxiliary tried to find out where we were to go.

Once the 2nd auxiliary found out we were to attend the nursery, they barked at us that it was to be one parent only. This made my wife very upset to the point she was visibly upset. I understand the importance of COVID 19 restrictions and that the rules aren’t always set by the individual hospital, however this was completely unnecessary and caused even more distress and anxiety on top of that which we already have. Even when my wife arrived upstairs the Dr asked why I wasn’t there. 

As someone who has worked as a registered nurse for several years, I have seen many examples of excellent care and some not so good. Unfortunately for NHS Fife this goes down in the list of the worst. Such unprofessional, uncaring attitudes. I understand how much the pandemic has affected everything with rules and regulations changing often, but this isn’t an excuse for unprofessionalism. 

The fact that the member of staff feels it acceptable to pull out a personal mobile phone and use it in front of patients is unbelievable. Everybody should be treated with the same level of care and professionalism as you never know who’s walking through your doors and what insight they have into how wrong your actions are.