"Go elsewhere if you can"

We decided to have our baby at Lister. We regret it. In the run-up to delivery everything was acceptable, but it was when labour started that things went wrong. After 30 hours of labour we had to insist on seeing a consultant to get them to agree to an emergency c-section. That was granted within minutes by the consultant who did the inspection. The procedure went smoothly and we were relieved that mother and baby were both well. It is the Gloucester post-natal ward that let us down. The place is unsanitary, the staff are rude and uncaring. For a woman's greatest event in her life this ward is a disappointment. The staff are either patronising or pressurising, the latter being the incessant forcing mothers to breast-feed when it isn't always possible. The facilities are cramped and fathers are regarded as a nuisance - don't dare help yourself to food or drink in the kitchen. The ward housekeeper will lock the door in your face if it suits them. Not once in our 4 days did a nurse bring my partner anything that she asked for aside from the prescribed medicines. Your bedding will only get changed if you ask for it to be done; even in Third World hospitals this is done daily. It was no surprise then that my other half picked up MRSA. The comfort of the patient is hardly ever considered in this ward; the quality of care is poor. We couldn't wait to get out of there. We left disappointed, angry and infected. If you can go elsewhere - private if necessary if you believe there a chance of a non-standard delivery - then I would advise you to do so.