"Delivery suite - Royal London Hospital -..."

Any woman giving birth has always expected two things: a secure environment and careful staff. While the former is definitely supplied by the RLH (2-year old buildings, high-tech equipment, clean rooms), the latter seems to be totally absent when it comes to labour. The delivery of my first child last week remains a very bad memory. The delivery suite staff has absolutely no interest or sympathy in your case, they don't even do the minimum required. The reception nurses didn't even look at us when we, my husband and I, arrived at the reception. We asked questions, they didn't answer. We were speaking alone. They barely suggested to sit on a chair and to wait. That they were right. We actually waited. Waiting is of course no problem when the nurses are busy and the waiting room is full. But what about being alone and seeing the staff chatting? Finally I was sent to the Early Labour lounge for 3 hours. Now you think that a nurse is going to check on you regularly, let's say every hour. Nope. Nobody came for three hours! My husband was trying to get hold of someone, and was said continuously to wait five more minutes. Nobody ever came. When I finally broke waters (basically 30 minutes before delivering, that's not much) and involuntarily started to push, we found no nurse in the room, or the corridor, or the reception. The whole delivery suite was like a western movie scene, where dead bushes roll in the desert. My husband luckily found one nurse about to take the elevator and asked her to come. I should mention that months before I had asked for an epidural. We stupidly thought that after a twelve-hour labour, of which four spent in the delivery suite, and after having broken waters, it was time for an epidural. Nope again. It was too late. Well done guys. The question's why? No qualified person to operate? Did they underestimate my dilatation speed? We'll never know. My husband asked, he was summoned to be happy. To end on a positive point, I must say that the delivery team that took care of me for the birth were totally opposite to the labour team. Careful, explaining everything. Simply professional.