"Neglected on Gynae Ward"

I was back and forth from Barnet Early Pregnancy Unit for over two weeks for an ectopic pregnancy. Once it was diagnosed, I was given a choice for surgical tube removal or an injection and close monitoring. I was terrified of losing my reproductive parts and having a major surgery so I opted for the medical management and methotrexate injection.

Unfortunatlely it didn't work and a week later I had a rupture. I walked into Barnet A&E and told them I had an ectopic and believed I had ruptured and was in extreme pain. After waiting 20 minutes my brother arrived at A&E and was shocked I hadn't been seen straight away! He demanded they assess me and I was admitted to the emergency gynae ward. Even though they knew I had a life threatening diagnosis they left me with internal bleeding on that ward for over 20 hours with a morphine drip waiting for a simple ultrasound!

I kept asking the nurses when I would get the scan and they said when ultrasound team was ready they would call me. They knew I was in pain and kept offering me drugs. They kept me nil by mouth and kept pumping fluilds and morphine into me. When my fiance arrived the next day he was stunned that I hadn't been seen and threatened to take me to another hospital right away. The ultrasound team then gave me a scan and said none of the nurses has told them about me!

They found I had a ruptured right tube and internal bleeding and was told I need emergency surgery. My fiance was so angry and didn't trust Barnet with the surgery after the complete mess they had already made, the doctor kept apologising but we were fed up and I was so frightened, so I self discharged and he took me straight to West Middlesex hospital where they successfully performed emergency laproscopic surgery to remove my right tube and everything was resolved within 6 hours. This was my first experience being hospitalised on the NHS as I've had private before. I thought this must be how all NHS services are, but West Middlesex was fantastic. They kept trying to ring Barnet to get my records and no one at Barnet would answer the phones!

I am so angry and shocked by the care at Barnet, the gynaecology ward (Willow Ward) is nurse-led and it seems that non of the staff are accountable to anyone. It wasn't just me, other ladies were being neglected as well. One lady next to me had lost all feeling from the waist down after an epidural for a hsyterectomy. I witnessed a nurse vernally abuse an elderly patient. It was terrifying. The nurses were rude, loud, had foul attitudes and poor team communication. The outpatient EPU care was fantastic but the care on the ward was absolutely shocking, it was like the Francis report and Mid Staffordshire scandal come to life.