"Unhappy with early pregnancy care at UHNS"

My wife was 8 weeks pregnant following IVF treatment. The evening after her 8 weeks scan (at a private clinic where she'd had IVF), she noticed that she was bleeding. She rang the UHNS switchboard and was put through to someone on the pregnancy unit who advised her she could only be scanned if she got referred by our GP the next day. Her only other advice was to go to A&E.

We decided to wait until the morning, but when my wife was still bleeding we went to A&E. The staff there were not overly concerned (but we were as my wife had previously had a stillborn baby, so we were terrified we were losing this one too). Staff in A&E explained that my wife couldn't have a scan as she'd had one at the fertility clinic the previous day so she wasn't considered to be an emergency! The best they could do was get her a scan appointment for 4 days time.

After a very anxious 4 days my wife went in for her appointment at the Early Pregnancy Unit. After waiting 40 mins past her appointment time she eventually saw a nurse who just wanted to know why she was there for the scan. My wife then had to wait a further 40 mins to actually see someone for the scan, then she had another long wait to see someone who discussed the results with her...all in all she was there for 2 hours!

I am disgusted that not only did we have to wait for 4 days to have a scan, but that when my wife went for the scan she was there for 2 hours! UHNS do not seem to place any importance on patient care...keeping a pregnant woman who is worried she's miscarrying waiting for days and then messing about for 2 hours for just a scan is totally unacceptable in my view.

I am very glad that we chose a hospital over an hour away from Stoke for my wife's first pregnancy and we will be doing the exact same thing for for current pregnancy. UHNS may have brand new facilities but they lack basic respect and understanding for their patients.