"The staff are amazing, irreplaceable!"

Early this June I went into spontaneous labour, although I had an elective C-Section booked for four days later (my baby was measuring big, and I have concerns she could become stuck- I felt this was the safest option)

My child was delivered the next morning, having received the most amazing care in multiple areas of the hospital. Westburn, Labour, Theatres, Recovery and going on to Ashgrove for further care. 

All staff were professional, friendly, caring, compassionate, level-headed and supportive. They respected my choices and protected my dignity, I felt comfortable and safe at a time where care at times was required to be invasive. 

All staff from Domestics, students, HCSW’s, midwives, anaesthetists, surgeons, doctors, medical students and consultants played their parts well, are were fantastic!

 Laura and Sarah from Westburn, The whole team and the Senior Charge Midwife on Labour ward, the fantastic team in theatre, especially Yolanda , Nicki in recovery and Cara and Sheena in Ashgrove Ward will all be remembered fondly and I am so grateful for everything they did for me and my family. 

Thank you all so much - I’m sorry I can’t remember all your names!

The only thing that was evident during my stay was how severely understaffed the hospital was, and the detrimental effect this it turn could take on patient care and staff moral. 

The staff are not machines, and human error can occur due to fatigue, workload and stress. 

I always felt safe at the hospital, however due to the number of emergencies on the day of my section, I was not seen as soon as initially planned. Other mum’s in emergency situations were seen first (rightly so!) but this then had a knock on effect to my care - my labour progressed quickly! My section was now an “emergency” and a second theatre was opened for me! The poor staff must feel like they are chasing their tails every shift! 

The staff are amazing! They are irreplaceable, and should be treated as such! My concerns is, everyone can make a mistake in times of stress or fatigue - if there  were more staff on shift, stress levels would be reduced.