"The staff make this hospital!"

I had my beautiful baby boy on 29th August 2015 at ddh. I spent 3 days prior to this on ward 1. The midwives that have worked with me have been superb. They are genuine, caring, compassionate and professional. They made me feel at ease on the ward and fully informed on what was happening with my care. They accommodated my needs when they could. Every midwife I met has been superb the two midwives who worked closely with me were both were superb and an absolute credit to their profession. The downside of my stay was waiting around, a lot of time was wasted due to workload and staff shortages, it was extremely frustrating. There are amazing staff and the maternity services would be of a much more higher standard if the amount of staff met the capacity of the patients. It would be beneficial as patients would be more happy and staff workload should ease. The registrars I did see were all superb but to be the only doctor other than a trainee and a consultant on call is a lot of work, stress and responsibility. The only other minor downside is I think it would be a more comfortable stay if ward visiting times were adhered to, I did see a few staff members enforce the visiting rules, however I personally felt overwhelmed of the amount and length of time visitors could stay, during Labour there were 4 family members plus one child around a new mum and baby on delivery suite which I found an inappropriate time to visit. Likewise on the ward there was a visitor still there at 11pm who was a relative and they were chatting in the cubicle beside mine which made sleeping after a long Labour impossible.

My experience on delivery ward couldn't be faulted. I was extremely nervous due to a previous traumatic birth. The staff took care of me during this time and the time, attention and reassurance they gave me got me through and I had a wonderful birth. They all went above and beyond to make sure I felt happy, informed and comfortable. Even when something went wrong the midwives and staff kept their cool, explained fully what was happening and dealt with the situation professionally. After the birth I was made toast and tea and had a bath run. It was a wonderful experience and I don't think I would have had that experience without the staff that work here.

Ddh could do with a makeover it is very old fashioned and run down, but it has a fantastic team who deliver maternity services. I had no issues with cleanliness in the hospital and felt all areas were kept to a high a standard. I think it's very easy on first impressions to think that ddh is a bit daggy and seen better days, but I honestly do not believe that I would have found such a superb team of doctors and midwives to deliver my baby- they make this hospital amazing. The improvements that need making are all managerial- more staff