"The antenatal classes and community ..."

What I liked

The antenatal classes and community midwife services that are run in the community were okay. I liked nothing about my experience in the hospital!

What could be improved

Staff attitudes need drastically improving as does the quality of communication between staff and between staff and patients.

The attitude of the staff at Queen Charlotte's Hospital is appalling. The reception staff, midwives and doctors are rude and treat you with contempt.

Anything else?

The treatment I have received at the hospital since the very start of my pregnancy has been appalling.

At 20 weeks I turned up for a routine check and after being shouted at and reduced to tears by the acidic tongue of the receptionist for daring to ask (after an hour and a half wait) how much longer my appointment would be I was told that my notes had been 'overlooked in the pile' and that there were no rooms available to see me in. I was eventually seen in a side room on a ward (a 10 minute walk away) where the equipment needed to check my blood pressure etc wasn't present and where the midwife completing the check up was rude and dismissive - treating me as if I was an idiot for asking routine questions about pregnancy.

I am now just over 37 weeks pregnant and was referred for an emergency appointment with an obstretician earlier this week. On arrival to the hospital I was kept waiting an hour (which happens when you go for routine checkups wirth the midwife regularly) then when my name was finally called I was taken into a room and told I needed a routine check up (I'd already had one earlier that day) and then I could go. I had to read my notes to the midwife from the earlier appointment and explain them to her! She insisted that I was booked in for a 'routine check' and that I should then leave. When I took my notes back to reception to try and find out what had happened to my doctors appointment the receptionist barked at me and launched into a rant about how busy she was!! After two hours I was finally able to the see the doctor, who had no record of the appointment and made me feel like I was an idiot for being concerned about my baby's health even after I'd been refered to him by the community midwife in the morning.