"Horrendous care left me feeling devastated"

Unfortunately I had to terminate my pregnancy back in 2019 due to personal circumstances. I had to attend the unit on several occasions firstly to have history, bloods, scan done etc. And then over the course of a few days to take the oral medication and pass the baby a few days afterwards. The nurse who initially took my details was absolutely wonderful and was really empathetic of my situation. I was devastated and they went above and beyond to make sure I felt ok. They even gave me the unit number and told me to phone anytime and ask for them personally. I really wish I remembered their name as this is the kind of staff the NHS is needing and they should be acknowledged for their outstanding care. 

Unfortunately my experiences after the initial booking in period were awful. I was absolutely devastated at the circumstances and just wanted the ground to swallow me up. I had to be scanned to make sure the baby was in the uterus. On arrival I was introduced to a doctor as well as a medical student who I was told was going to sit in on the session. I understand medial students need the experience in order to learn, but I assumed things would of been more discreet due to the nature of events. I even expressed to the doctor I felt awful and just wanted it over and done with quickly. During the scan I could hear them pointing out all the different parts of the anatomy, thickness of womb etc. To be honest it wasn’t appropriate and to top it off I had to walk by the ultrasound machine to get changed in the toilet only to have my baby’s scan still on the screen for me to see, the medical staff hadn’t minimised the screen and i was absolutely devastated. I felt 100x times worse knowing that my baby was starting to look like a baby and had a heartbeat. That same medical student then came into the consultation  room where a patronising staff nurse went over my details. I was absolutely devastated. 

During the actual termination I didn’t feel supported by staff members. I felt as if I had just been put in a side room whilst they all sat down and had their tea break. There was at least 7 staff members on so there was no reason why someone couldn’t have came in and checked in on me. During a time like this patients need support. Unfortunately the nurse who was in charge of my care was the same patronising nurse from the previous session who took my history. They were very abrupt regarding contraception and their general manner was appalling. Someone like that shouldn’t be working in an environment were woman are having their worlds ripped apart and need emotional support. I get it’s just a job to them and they see it everyday, but it’s common sense and general human decency.