"Conveyor belt"

On arrival there was nothing confidential right through to the aftercare. Considering this is a highly sensitive topic and stressful situation for many girls and women undergoing an abortion, there was an insensitive atmosphere amongst staff. Although my appointment was scheduled for early morning, I wasn't actually in surgery until 5 hours later. However on arrival you are made to sit in a waiting room with every other girl and woman having an abortion, which personally is somewhat embarassing and an uncomfortable situation to begin with as it is a private matter for most. A few hours later I was taken to a room where women were lined up on recliners: half of these women where waiting to have the surgery whilst others where stumbling out of surgery with a nurse under each arm, still completely sedated from the abortion process. To see women stumbling out with just blue towels covered in blood around their waist was honestly when it hit home to me how badly run this organisation was. It was a conveyor belt, no privacy, no partner or friend to be there when you awake from sedation- only other girls laying staring at you from all sides of the small room. This room seemed to be the waiting room, after care, and tea room for the women and staff combined. Before my surgery I was given 6 tablets which caused the worst pain I will probably ever experience. I was crying with the pain and 2/3 members of staff just looked at me and looked away. Thankfully one member of staff had the sense to see I was in pain, and gave me codeine which made such a relief. After my surgery I woke to blood down my own blue towel which was tied around my waist to cover myself, along with it being soaking wet. When I came round from sedation I asked what had happened and the staff said I had fallen and spilled a cup of water around myself. You would think the staff would have had the initiative to take me to another room to replace the soaking blue towel- but they didn't. I have never been so glad to leave a place more in my life. The Manchester clinic is basically like having a surgery room in a crowded house. I was sure of my abortion decision when I first arrived, and the night after my surgery I immediately regretted my decision- 90% of the regret being due to the lack of respect staff had for myself and the other patients around me, I still feel disgusted at the thought of girls being set down on a recliner when still sedated in front of everyone else. If there had been even a curtain between each patient I think it would have made such a difference for privacy issues. You're just another number on a long list of people they need to get on and off the recliner as quickly as possible. I was someone 100% certain of my decision, but if I knew then what I do now, I know for a fact I would never have carried through with it, and it's now a memory I will never forget and will always carry with me.