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"Treatment during my labour, pushed, pressurised, coerced and non consent"

About: York Hospital / Maternity

(as a service user),

Now don't get me wrong, there were some fabulous midwives/health assistants but then there were also some who I believe lied to us and were aggressive in their attitude to us.

I was due to be admitted to be induced  (which I wasn't happy about and felt that I had been forced into) if nothing had started, however my contractions started over night.  On informing them I assumed that the plan would change but no as far as they were concerned they were going to induce me no matter what, if they couldn't do the original plan then they would do something else.  They would make the decision and then tell me.  I had to be strong enough to say no. And even then they would pressure me further.
This isn't a comprehensive list but just a snippet (we'd be here all year otherwise).
I was left in pain - I requested pain relief and it took over 2 hours on multiple occasions and being chased to get.
I was told off by one of the midwives.
I was told I had to be in a particular position so they could monitor me even though it was uncomfortable and I wanted to be in a different position - was told I couldn't be in that position.
I have since requested and received my hospital notes. There are errors (saying I'm on particular drugs when I'm not, saying I've got particular health issues eg high blood pressure when I don't - it is the high end of normal but it isn't high and they put me on drugs for it but not regularly), some of these meant that I was unable to have the care and treatment and labour that I wanted, there are lies and omissions - I reacted to one of the drugs but that isn't mentioned so I was given it twice more and reacted both times, nor is a time when one of the midwives came in (she mentioned it briefly in a later bit but hadn't recorded it in my records when she should have).
They ignored my birth plan, even saying at one point that it wasn't relevant to them (antenatal ward) and only relevant to the labour ward.
My partner was given little to no support.
I did not consent to certain things but they were done anyway.  And at other occasions whilst I did agree I was that out of it on narcotics that legally I don't know how I could consent (I still now don't even remember having the conversations and sometimes even having the procedure). If I am under the influence of certain types of drugs then I can not legally consent to sex so how on earth can I consent to major medical procedures?
If something was needed, rather than looking at my birth plan  to see what I wanted e.g. to move about rather than go on the drip, I felt they would go straight to the most invasive option and pressure me until I submitted.
Because of what I went through I now have PTSD, I also have physical scarring (c-section) which could make it even harder to have a second child as I already have fertility issues.
Suffice to say, my experience in York Hospital seriously screwed me up.
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Responses

Response from Catherine Rhodes, Patient Experience Lead, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 5 years ago
Catherine Rhodes
Patient Experience Lead,
York and Scarborough Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Submitted on 15/10/2018 at 13:22
Published on Care Opinion at 13:39


Hi there, I am so sorry to hear about your experience, it really isn't how we want any of patients to feel.

Because the postings on this site are anonymous I can't look into the details of your case or contact you directly to start to address some of these issue. I would urge you to please contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on 01904 726262. They will be able to record your experience and put you in touch with the maternity team who can look into this further and speak to you in more detail.

I really do hope you choose to contact PALS. As a Trust we strive to learn from feedback and make improvements so that others can have a better experience.

However - if you do not choose to take it further, I respect that decision and can only say that I am very sorry to hear about your time with us.

Wishing you all the best.

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

Update posted by Scared and Violated (a service user)

Thank you.

I am now in discussion with various people but am not holding my breath at getting answers. But it still does not negate my feeling you did things against my consent and basically stripped away my human rights. I will never get back what should have been a positive and joyous occasion.

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