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"Maternity ward - felt abandoned and a burden with..."

About: Stoke Mandeville Hospital

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Arrived on a Sunday at 8am for an induction to find out it was shift change time. After an hour of sitting waiting to be seen on a bed in a over heated room a midwife came round. She was pleasant and took time to answer out questions and queries. Then we waited a further 7 hours to be taken to the labour room, the first midwife left after a short time as she was needed to assist another birth, to be replaced by a softly spoken and somewhat nosey midwife who after I had been on gas and air for 4 hours tried persuading my partner I may be better off with an epidural!!! My partner refused cometely and said if I need pain relief I would accept 100ml of pethadine, which I eventually opted for. Lucky for us we had another shift change and the midwife was amazing. I can not fault her and even when babies heart rate started dropping with contractions she kept my partner informed and reassured about the possibility if a c section. Luckily my baby arrived within minutes so this was avoided. I had 2nd degree tears which I have been informed have been stitches perfectly. When I was wheel chaired upto the post natal ward at approx 2:30am, I was abandoned in the chair with my baby. I waited 15 minutes holding my baby until a cot finally arrived. I struggled to get out of the chair and place him in his cot and then struggled with the bed and getting in. I was not shown where the toilets were or the midwife desk and could not reach the alarm call, so I had no option but to get hold of my bag and place my towel under my bum and wet myself. I was at no point offered help or asked if I needed any the next morning. When a shout came for breakfast I struggled out of bed and down the corridor to be given a luke warm cup of tea and 2 slices of cold toast. At this point I just wanted to go home. I was boiling hot, tired an exhausted, lonely and let down. I decided to answer any questions with answers expected just to speed my discharge up and get home where I would call family and friends for there help. I can not state how appalled I felt and still feel at my treatment. I had a horrendous start to my pregnancy with a midwife, which after making a complaint was rectified and then a horrendous end. Buckinghamshire should be appalled by its service. I have not long moved to the county and if I had known they were this badly staffed and trained I would of happily travelled the 280 trip to be treated at my home county. Because of this, my partner and I have decided we will not be having another child as neither of us could bare to endure this process again.

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Responses

Response from Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust 10 years ago
Submitted on 20/09/2013 at 13:14
Published on Care Opinion at 16:29


We are very sorry to read about your experience - this is certainly not the standard we expect of our staff. We have taken your comments very seriously and have fed back to the department.

We would really encourage you to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) so that we can discuss your experience in more detail and look into the specific points you raise. They can also put you in contact with our senior midwife to discuss what other support you might find helpful. The PALS team are contactable via 01296 316042 or pals@buckshealthcare.nhs.uk

Kind regards

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Response from Stoke Mandeville Hospital 10 years ago
Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Submitted on 20/09/2013 at 14:25
Published on nhs.uk on 21/09/2013 at 04:00


We are very sorry to read about your experience - this is certainly not the standard we expect of our staff. We have taken your comments very seriously and have fed back to the department. We would really encourage you to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) so that we can discuss your experience in more detail and look into the specific points you raise. They can also put you in contact with our senior midwife to discuss what other support you might find helpful. The PALS team are contactable via 01296 316042 or pals@buckshealthcare.nhs.uk Kind regards

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
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