"Maternity care has been exceptional"

I can not thank the maternity and paediatric services at UHW enough for the high level of patient centred care we have received from the entire team. The medical staff have been wonderful, as have the midwives and support workers and domestic staff caring for us. Professional, kind, empathetic and caring. We had our baby boy in this unit last year, born prematurely after a difficult pregnancy, and although we are technically outwith the Lanarkshire catchment area, it was our decision to have our care based here and it was the best decision. Once again, after a surprise second pregnancy which has had some complications, the decision to stay with this team has been undoubtedly the best decision for us and I am grateful to each and every one of the wonderful hardworking people taking care of me and my babies, and ensuring my husband feels supported and listened to as well. Thank you!  

My only criticism is the with the food provided for patients in this facility. The nutritional quality is dubious at best, to say the food is unappetising is being kind. What baffles me about the food coming off the catering trolley for the patients, is not only the lack of fresh fruit or vegetable options on offer, but also portion sizes and texture- especially for the maternity wards where patients are generally healthy women in their prime who need extra energy! It’s as if the diet is designed for edentulous octogenarians who don’t need, don’t want or can’t have texture or flavour or energy dense foods! And even if you decided to try the canteen, or the little coffee shop, you are faced with a similar sea of bland beige foods, overpriced unpalatable sandwiches and lots of options for sugary or salty treats but very little of nutritional value, and certainly not out of hours. It’s shocking that this is what is provided in a hospital servicing such a large catchment area. Giving people choices is a good thing and I don’t judge if in this part of the world the majority of people might choose fish and chips as their preferred meal option, but to then not have anything fresh on offer as an alternative is ridiculous. Health starts with the diet, this is common knowledge, and the hospital has got it very wrong here. I find this very sad, and as a patient (and staff) extremely frustrating. It’s understandable then that there are many who depend on family and friends and deliveries of outside food to keep them going! Shame.