"Communication and waiting issues at early pregnancy unit"

I attended Early Pregnancy Assessment Service (EPAS) at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow this month for a miscarriage. It wasn't a nice experience obviously. However I do not feel that EPAS helped ease any anxieties during this already stressful time by the way the dept is run and how the staff conduct themselves.

I will begin with the automated phone service. There is no option for if you just need advice or to speak to someone. Only if you are suffering vaginal bleeding. Which I wasn't to begin with, but I didn't want to choose that option and take the line up in case someone else really needed it. In the end I did, to discover it was a voicemail service anyway. The staff however were quick at returning the calls within a few hours and were very helpful and compassionate.

1st appointment was an afternoon appt. I wasn't taken on time but when you are dealing with people on the day sometimes timing gets out the window. Staff were lovely can't fault them.

2nd appointment was a 9am appt. I was taken 25 mins past my appointment time with no apologies from staff as to why they were running late... would see me soon. No other patients about (to be seen anyway) however I could hear staff discussing other details about life and their weekend plans etc.

Then a member of staff ran in past the office not in uniform shouting about how she had been here since 8.45 and others saying yeh yeh. This was the midwife who saw me 25 mins after my appt time at a time where I am very upset and anxious and had to be at a hospital and parked and in a clinic on time.

She then told me she was busy reading my notes however she clearly knew nothing about me and asked me many questions that if she had read my notes she would know. She then said she was in a meeting with management. I also work in healthcare. Staff meetings can run on... if you know you have a patient waiting you make your excuses and leave. Starting a list 25 mins late is in my opinion unacceptable.

We were then moved room and a different member of staff dealt with us. That staff member was very professional, compassionate and informative.

Our 3rd appt was again an early appointment and again was taken very late with no apologies from staff. Again able to hear all their conversations that were with each other, not other patients, during this wait.

I feel there is probably staffing and funding issues within this dept like all others, and whilst most of the staff I encountered were professional and compassionate when face to face with me they didn't seem to think about what they were doing to me, leaving me sitting there listening to them laugh and joke with each other when I am past my appointment slot.

Had I turned up 25 mins late, would they have seen me? Certainly not without a moan about how I had missed my slot. "Missed appointments cost the nhs £135" says every reminder text message about appointments. I just think...do better EPAS for your patients, think about who is sitting outside that door and what they are going through, not just when you call them into a room and maybe add an option to just speak to someone to the automated phone service.

I also attended gynae day unit for my procedure similarly I had to wait. Again I do understand people are involved. I was told twice by members of staff someone will be with you soon. That's all I am looking for, some communication. The staff during that procedure I cannot fault in any way. Caring, professional and compassionate. Thank you to them.