"Outstanding Maternity Care"

I changed my maternity care to Chesterfield for several reasons and it was without a doubt the best decision. I live out of area but was happy to travel. There is always parking and the location of the hospital is easy to get to.

I work also work for the NHS in the community services for children and young people so understand how challenging it can be to provide high quality care at this time and was ready to ‘overlook’ minor issues however this was never necessary because there weren’t ANY issues. And nothing was ‘just acceptable’ but very much outstanding.

The online maternity notes were helpful meaning I could access my information, see updates, send questions regarding my pregnancy at any time which were promptly responded to.

The antenatal clinics always had a very calm environment and every staff member I encountered was friendly, smiling, polite, professional and helpful. I felt listened to, encouraged and included in the decisions of my care.

The maternity ward was again a very calm and surprisingly quiet environment. The ward seemed full of patients and staff shortages but remained calm and nothing was too much trouble. All staff went above in the care provision.

My son had a tongue tie picked up with the first 15 minutes of his birth and an appointment was provided within a week which seemed reasonable to me given current waiting times elsewhere. One maternity support worker wasn’t satisfied with this (aware of the problems that would arise for my son and also myself breastfeeding) and persisted in her communication with colleagues which meant a tongue division was completed the morning after he was born. He could feed well and I avoided painful breastfeeding issues because of it.

My stay was during the winter and peak of staff off sick with coronavirus (as highlighted in the news) but at no point did staff mention, complain or use this as an excuse which is incredible as they would of had every right to explain this. They smiled and kept the focus on the mother’s and newborns, ensuring that everyone’s experience remained personal. Nothing was rushed and I felt completely cared for and supported in caring for my baby. Every staff member contributed to that calm environment and kept a high level of professionalism whilst showing compassion and also a friendly atmosphere not only towards the patients but also to each other which is probably why it felt so relaxed to stay there.

So to everyone at the Royal in Maternity services (and also in theatres for the c section) thank you endlessly!! Incredible honest, kind and professional care. A complete example to other hospitals of how it can be done in the face of current endless challenges. A very positive experience at a special time that I will remember forever and tell everyone about.